Through Crimson Eyes
by DelightfullyMAD
Summary: The battle between Sasuke and Naruto at the Valley of the End had reprucussions beyond anything that anyone had anticipated...rn(Chapter 10 has been revised)
1. Broken Bonds

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any characters associated with Naruto. If I did, I would be rich and famous and I would actually be making money off of this story right now. (Sigh)… oh well.

_This story takes place after chapter 233, the culmination of Sasukes' and Narutos' battle at the Valley of the End. The events beyond this point of my design, a look at some darker possibilities for the aftermath of this battle. Possible pairings include Naru/Kyuubi x Sakura and Naru/Kyuubi x Hinata. For those who have a preference, please let me know in the review section. Also, if people have alternative preferences (no YAOI or YURI), feel free to let me know, and if any strike me as interesting I will most certainly consider it._

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Kyuubi Speech"**

'_**Kyuubi's Thoughts'**_

**Through Crimson Eyes**

Chapter 1: Broken Bonds

Kakashi could feel the massive explosion of chakra even from this distance as he raced through the wilderness. There was no doubt about it, they had both pulled out their most powerful jutsus. But who would prove the stronger, who would triumph? He channeled more energy into his legs and feet, accelerating himself to his maximum. '_I only hope I'm not too late. . .'_

The massive explosion of chakra began to die down after the collision of the two rival shinobi. When it cleared, a young boy, dressed in a black shirt, stood over the other, a boy with blond hair, bright orange jumpsuit and odd whisker marks on his cheeks. A small crimson puddle was steadily growing beneath his inert form, a large hole blasted through the right side of his chest.

The dark haired boy stood over him, his eyes softening with regret for a brief instant. His headband, the symbol of his status as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, now scarred, fell to the ground next to the broken form lying below him, the blood beginning to soak into the fabric.

"Naruto…"

"I…"

He seemed ready to say more, when it suddenly began to rain. He gazed upward at the sky, allowing the rain to wash away the blood and memories. He suddenly clutched at his left arm, the stinging pain shooting through him.

_'Damn… I used the Chidori too many times…'_ He grit his teeth against the pain, his arm throbbing painfully as the overtaxed muscles desperately sought to hold together. After one last look at his fallen opponent, he stumbled away into the driving rain, his form disappearing into the mist.

This had been his final obstacle, now there was nothing in his way. He could finally devote himself fully to his chosen path. Why, then, did he feel so uncertain . . .?

Kakashi and his summoned dog continued through the woods as the rain began to fall. The masked ninja looked up briefly, concerned.

"Rain!"

If it continued to rain like this, then there was the possibility that the trail might grow cold. He looked over to Pakkun.

"Have you lost their scent?"

"It's alright, I still have it… they're here" Pakkun said as they burst out from the trees into the valley. The rain continued to pour, the river running through the valley overflowing, as if the heavens themselves wept.

Kakashi quickly began to look around for any sign of the two young Chuunin, and quickly spotted Narutos' body several feet away. He was not moving, and judging by the size of the growing red puddle beneath him, he might never move again.

"Am I too late…?"

He stood sorrowfully over the young boys battered body for a moment, his one visible eye sorrowfully gazing down at him. He clutched the now scarred headband that lay at the boys' side, the cloth sticky from the blood that had begun to seep into it.

"Naruto…why…like this?"

He then bent to pick him up, noting with some distress the red fluid running down his arms as he held him. He cast one last spiteful glance back over shoulder, then leapt off back into the woods. If he could just get him back to Tsunade-sama in time, there might be hope.

Somewhere, suspended in an infinite void, stood what appeared to be a large gateway, with two gargantuan bared double doors. The sheer size of this prison was obviously constructed to hold and contain something extremely large, and extremely dangerous. Or… at least it used to…

The two double doors were now thrown wide open, the bars bent beyond all recognition, and a small piece of burnt paper lay at the bottom of the now open door way, what appeared to have once been a seal now laying useless on the shifting plane of nothingness…

It had been nearly a day since Naruto and the rest of Shikimarus' group had left Konoha in pursuit of Sasuke, and Sakura was beginning to grow restless. She stood upon the bridge in the center of the village, gazing out despondently over the water, her mind flashing back to her last encounter with the Uchiha prodigy and not-so-secret love interest, Sasuke and to the other boy as well, Konoha's beloved #1 loudest ninja, Naruto.

'_What was happening?'_

'_Were they doing alright?'_

'_Was he hurt, or…?_

These were the thoughts that continued to pound through her head ever since they had left. Her thoughts also continued to shift back and forth between the two young men who had become so important in her life. On the one hand, there was Uchiha Sasuke, the greatest crush of her life and focus of her romantic obsession. She had adored him for as long as she could remember, an adoration that had, looking back on it now, cost her more than she was beginning to believe it was worth. The feelings were still there, she suspected that they would remain for a long time, but they had begun to feel stifling and restricting, like a dead weight within her, rather than the sparkling euphoria, the weightlessness she had once experienced. The memory of his departure still shook her to the core, leaving a cold feeling within her, like a lump of iron in her heart.

"_I was not able to stop him, was not able to convince him that a life here with me, with all of us, was better than his quest for vengeance. My love for him meant nothing, my feelings were useless…"_

Her thoughts then turned to the other boy, Uzumaki Naruto, the biggest pain in the ass and all round trouble maker that she had ever had the pleasure to have met. Ever since she had known him in the academy, he had been a constant source of irritation and occasionally anger, his frequent antics to draw her attention away from Sasuke a perpetual source of aggravation.

Yet despite all that, he alone had stood by her, through everything, and despite the pain that it brought him now, he went out to look for the boy who bore her now trampled heart, to bring him back to her safely. Her heart warmed slightly at the memory of him before they had left on the mission. He had told her, in the 'Good Guy Pose' as Lee put it, that he would bring him back to her. She had not noticed at the time, the pain hidden in his eyes as he made that promise, she had been too wrapped up in her own misery to even see it.

'_Why did I never notice before?'_ She thought to herself, new tears beginning to well up before they slid down her cheeks. Her shoulders began to shake as the pain began to well up once more. Other memories flashed before her, of the time after the attack of the Sand and Sound. She had, as usual, gushed over Sasuke, thanking him profusely for saving her from Gaara of the Desert. His answer however had shocked her.

_**Flash Back**_

"No… The one who saved you was Naruto."

"No way, you're just being modest. Sure Naruto is getting stronger, but that sand guy…"

"It's the truth. To save you, that guy risked death. Up until now, you haven't really seen him, so you haven't seen his strength either."

_**End Flash Back**_

Her heart swelled as that memory came back to her, and she smiled into her arms. She remembered the shock, and the strange warmth that went through her as she watched him then, comically struggling with Kakashi-sensei's Chidori. Her smile faltered however. He had grown so much since she first knew him, but she had always been too caught up in Sasuke to ever pay any notice. He tried so hard, yet she still treated him as if he were still the same annoying troublemaker from the academy.

"_I'm such an idiot"_

"_Why did I never see it, even after so much time together…?"_

"Sakura!"

Sakura looked up despondently from her position at the bridge to see Ino, her former friend and constant rival for Sasuke running up to her.

"It looks like everyone is back!" Ino huffed, having obviously been running for a while to reach her. "Come on now, let's go meet them…!"

Sakura brightened considerably at that. Had they made it back safely, were they alright? Was he…? She quickly began to follow the blond kunoichi as they made their way to the front gates.

"_Please Kami, let him be alright…"_

In another part of the village, another young girl's thoughts were also on the blond haired shinobi. Hyuga Hinata, heiress to the Hyuga family, sat in silent contemplation in her bed.

"Naruto-kun…" she whispered into the darkened room, her voice thick with an emotion that she had been bottling up for so long.

It seemed as though her thoughts were always dominated by the spirited, blond haired Genin, the young boy who, by his very nature, had won her heart without ever even realizing it. Before, when she had seen him in the academy, and even before when she had secretly looked upon him as he struggled through his lonely existence, she had admired him, respected him for his unwavering determination. He was everything that she was not, and he was everything that she wished she could be.

But lately, she had begun to notice that her feelings were beginning to change. She still admired and respected him, even more than before, but these feelings were accompanied by another, much deeper feeling. She imagined how her heart raced at the mere sight of him, how it had stopped completely when he had grinned at her, that foxy grin that seemed to brighten the whole world around her. She had seen his pain, had learned to look beyond what she had discovered to be a mask of cheerfulness, and she saw his lonliness and misery which hung about him, how alone he looked as he gazed longingly at the other children as they lived their day-to-day lives with their parents, being hugged, scolded, praised. She had wanted nothing more than to go to him, hug him, and help to ease that pain. She wanted that so badly that it hurt, but she couldn't…

"_Because I am such a coward, because I did not have strength and the courage to be there for him when he needed someone the most. He has already done so much for me, and yet I could never do anything to show him how much I appreciate that, and how much I appreciate him"_. She thought viciously to herself. Her self recriminations were a common inner battle within Hinata, a consequence of her harsh, unforgiving upbringing. She coughed once.

She had been sent home a day ago from the hospital after recovering from the internal damage that she had sustained while battling her cousin, Hyuga Neji, during the elimination rounds of the Chuunin exam. Even that she owed to Naruto, who had gone out to find the ledgendary Sennin and medical specialist Tsunade, who had healed her wounds. When she had awoken, her teammate, Shino, had filled her in on that information, as well as the outcome of the Naruto vs. Neji match.

Her pale face broke out into a brilliant scarlet blush as she recalled the feelings which had coursed through her at the news. Naruto, the boy who had been hailed as the 'Loser' and 'Dead-Last", had defeated Hyuga Neji, the genius of the Hyuga family, and he had done so for her! She had been nearly overwhelmed by the combined feelings of pride; pride in Naruto the boy nobody believed in (nobody but her at least), embarrassment; embarrassment that Naruto had gone through all that, had fought so hard against such a strong opponent, for the sake of avenging her and the defeat that had been so callously handed to her, as well as… She blushed even brighter as she abruptly cut off her train of thought at that point.

She had also discovered, to her dismay, that Naruto, the brash young ninja whom she had been deeply enamored with for so long, had left the village along with small group of Genin led by the newly promoted Shikimaru. They had, she had been told, been sent in pursuit of Sasuke, Narutos' former teammate and #1 rookie ninja. It was a dangerous mission, an A-Rank bordering on S-Rank according to Shino, and she could not help but feel a sense of dread in her heart at the possibilities which arose in regards to that scenario.

"_No, I-I must have faith in Naruto-kun, just like he had faith in me when I fought against Neji-niisan. He will come back safe, I k-know he will, I have to believe that!"_

"And when he comes back, maybe then I can find the courage to tell him…" She whispered to herself, her milky-white eyes staring off into space.

Her hands, normally fidgeting and unsure, tightened in resolve, a rare occurrence for the timid Hyuga heir, but a change that had slowly been developing since the day she had first seen the blond haired ninja she had come to care so intensely for.

Suddenly there was a knock on her door. A voice from the other side, Shinos', floated through.

"Oi, Hinata? They've returned." He said simply. He was gone a moment later.

Hinatas' heart began to beat furiously, in longing, in fear, or maybe a little of both. She said a quick prayer to Kami-sama as she dressed in her typical white coat and black pants, hoping that Naruto would be alright, and then dashed out the door as quickly as she could.

"_Perhaps I can finally tell him how much I care for him…"

* * *

_

Well that is it for chapter 1. How was it? Like it? Hate it?

This is something of a pilot chapter, so feedback is not only appreciated, but vital to the continuation of this fic. Compliments are welcome, constructive criticisms are appreciated, and flamers… get a life.


	2. High Stakes

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything to do with… damn this takes too long, screw it.

"Speech"

"_Thoughts"_

"**Kyuubi Speech"**

"**_Kyuubi Thoughts"_**

Through Crimson Eyes: High Stakes

He found himself walking through what seemed to be a void of darkness. There was nothing but shadow and mist in all directions. For most, such an environment would have been frightening, but for Naruto, it had become quite familiar.

"What am I doing here? Last thing I remember, I was fighting Sasuke at that Valley of the End place." He said to himself. His eye brightened as he got an idea.

"Well, wile I'm here, I can just ask the stupid fox to lend me more chakra. With what I had before, it should be pretty easy to win if I had just a bit more." He nodded with satisfaction at his own reasoning, and began to walk forward, instinctively knowing what direction would take him to the Kyuubi's cage.

* * *

There was already a rather large gathering at the northern gates of Konoha by the time Sakura and Ino made their way there. Medic Nins were already giving aid to several of the young men who were being brought in. The first to go by was Chouji, obviously unconscious and looking, for one of his girth, very thin. Although he was no thinner than a typical boy his age, for Chouji to have lost that amount of weight in such a short amount of time was a definite cause for concern.

After Chouji was rushed by, a stretcher holding the ravaged form of Neji came by, his body sporting two large holes, one in his chest, just over the heart, and the other in his right side. Several medics were already attempting to stabilize his condition even as they passed.

This of course worried Sakura to no end. Given what she had seen so far, how badly were the others injured. She looked about frantically until she located Tsunade, standing amidst the crowd while delivering various orders.

"Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade glanced over briefly, obviously distressed at the moment. "Yes, sakura? What is it? Were a bit busy here at the moment."

"Have…. umm, have Naruto and… and Sasuke come back yet". She was unable to keep the slight tremor out of her voice. Why did she have such a bad feeling…?

Tsunade's face softened a bit, a bit of sadness and worry crossing her features.

"No, not yet. But don't worry, Kakashi has already gone out to look for them himself. I am sure that he will find them soon and… hey, make sure to get those two into the main emergency wing as soon as possible. Shizune." Sakura stepped back as Tsunade was once again caught up in directing the various medical teams as they cared for the rest of Shikamaru's squad.

"Yes Tsunade-sama?" Shizune answered.

"I want you to oversee Neji's treatment. He is in a critical state and we…" Sakura did not hear the rest. She was lost too deep in thought to care. A hand then grabbed her shoulder.

"HEY! I can see some one coming from the woods!" Ino yelled over at her. Sakura glanced up at that point in time to see a familiar masked ninja come leaping from the trees, his grey hair damp and disheveled. Her heart nearly stopped however when she saw who he was carrying on his back.

"N-Naruto…?"

At the same time, Hinata and Shino made their way to the gathering as well. Hinata felt her heart clench in worry as she saw Shikamaru and his team coming back, obviously worse for wear. She noted with concern that her cousin, Neji, was probably the worst of the lot. She continued to frantically look about, searching for a shock of bright spikey blond hair in the crowd.

"Oi, Hinata, I found Kiba over there. Maybe he can tell us what has happened" Shino said, his normally calm voice slightly strained. Hinata glanced over, her eyes widening in worry as she saw him on the stretcher. She made her way over, nearly getting crushed in between the throngs of onlookers as she sought to make her way to the front of the crowd, Shino following closely behind her.

"K-Kiba-kun!

"Kiba, how bad is it?" Shino asked from behind her. Kiba looked up and gave them both a rather pained grin.

"Heh, it ain't too bad, just had a run in with some freak that could invade my body. Decided to give that hitchhiking bastard a little surprise." He chuckled a bit before he cringed in pain, his hand clutching his side.

"K-Kiba-kun, are you ok?!"

"Y-yeah, this ain't nothing you gotta worry about."

Hinata began to twiddle her fingers, a nervous habit of hers. Both boys knew this well enough, having had her as a partner since their graduation from the academy.

"Ano, d-do you k-know where… Naruto-kun is?"

Kiba's face darkened a bit at that point. "No, I haven't seen him since he went after Sasuke."

"O-oh…" Her face fell. She then heard a voice cry out from the crowd.

"HEY! I can see someone coming from the woods".

She looked up and saw a masked ninja emerging from the woods, carrying a familiar orange glad ninja on his back. Her hands went to her mouth in shock as she took in his condition.

"Naruto…kun…?"

* * *

He had been wandering for just a few minutes before he saw a familiar structure in the distance. Jogging the rest of the way, he came to stand before the great doors of the Kyuubi's cage, except…

His face changed between slightly baffled to stark terror in nearly an instant as he observed the sight before him. Where the once great barred doors once stood was now a wreckage of twisted metal, the doors having been forcibly blown off their hinges from inside. A quick glance confirmed his fears even further as he noticed a small piece of paper, a seal, which lay half burnt upon the ground in front of the now open cage.

"**Heh heh heh heh…"**

Naruto wheeled around, his hands instinctively moving for his kunai at his sides. He glanced around, his eyes attempting to find something, anything, in the darkness about him.

"K-Kyuubi! Where are you?!" Naruto shouted, trying to sound as defiant as possible. All the while his mind was racing.

"_How, how did he get free?! There's no way!"_ His body began to tremble.

"**Heh heh heh… Nervous boy?"** A deep voice resonated in the vast emptiness, its location impossible to determine. A strange sensation of a giant body shifting through the dark landscape made its way up Naruto's spine.

"Where are you? Show yourself you stupid fox!" Naruto shouted, with a bit more confidence. The Kyuubi may be out, but he would be damned if he let that stupid furball get to him.

"**No… Good, good. It would have been disappointing if you had been." **Kyuubi's tone was lightly mocking, but with a slight hint of what may have been respect.

"**Well, seeing as how that is not the case, let's play a little game…"**

Naruto cocked his head to one side, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you mean game."

"**It's quite simple, I want a battle. The stakes, of course, being ownership of your body. Now, before you start objecting…" **The voice chided, seeming to note what Naruto was a bout to say **"Know that I intend to make this a very fair wager for the both of us."**

Naruto turned again at a sound behind him, kunai at the ready. His eyes widened impossibly as he came face to face with himself…

"**Surprised?" **The Naruto/Kyuubi mocked.He appeared to be an exact double of Naruto, except that his whisker marks were wide and jagged, and his mouth sported two fangs. But the most notable difference was the eyes: They were slit and blood red.

"**I hoped that you would be impressed." **Kyuubi stated idly, noting Naruto's shocked expression. **"Frankly, it would be no fun if I took you on in my true form, so I figured that this would even the odds. Now then, are you ready." **Kyuubi's face broke into a fanged grin.

Naruto gulped, his throat dry. After a few seconds of composure he looked up, his blue orbs cold and hard with determination. "What's the wager, furball?" He asked, his throat only a little dry.

Kyuubi regarded him for a few moments, his eyes narrowing, his grin widening. He seemed thoroughly amused with his bravado. **"My wager is this: A one on one battle between the two of us, winner take all. Should you win, my power, my knowledge, all of it will be yours, as well as permanent uncontested ownership of your own body…" **H trailed off, allowing Naruto to consider that for a moment. He then continued. **"If, on the other hand, I happen to win, I will be the one in charge. You will be locked away within you own mind, forced to exist in a prison very similar to my own."**

"What kind of crap is that…?!" Naruto yelled, his voice echoing in the void about them. "I ain't that stupid, you stupid fox."

Kyuubi continued to regard him, his eyebrow twitching slightly at the insult, but otherwise still amused.

"**Now now, it is not as if this will be an unfair fight. We will be on equal terms, I will deliberately hold back the bulk of my power for this fight. After all, it would be no fun to conquer you so easily. But just think… all of my power, all of my techniques, all at your disposal. You have always desired to be strong, and this could be your chance. With my power you could easily become the next Hokage, and then the entire village, the people who shunned you for your entire life will have no choice but to acknowledge your strength."**

"But it won't be my strength" Naruto said after a moment. In truth, Kyuubis proposal was very tempting, it was exactly what he was searching for. But he could not shake the bad feeling that he had.

"**Of course it would. After all, it's not as if I am simply handing it to you. By defeating me you will have more than earned it."**

'_That's true'_ Naruto thought, his eyes shut briefly in thought. If he could **win**, then he would have defeated one of the most powerful demons in the world in a fair battle. He would become truly strong; he would surpass everyone who had doubted him. He would surpass Sasuke. He could keep his promise, uphold his ninja way.

Naruto opened his eyes to see his dark double standing before him still, the fanged smirk still on his face. He returned it with a foxy grin of his own.

"Heh, your on, ya stupid fox!"

"**Excellent…" **Kyuubi returned.

* * *

Kakashi continued to mull over the recent events that had taken place between his two young charges. He thought over his past choices, his failures, and his regrets.

"_Why…?" _He thought to himself as he continued through the trees. His back was growing increasingly damp, and it was beginning to worry him. If he did not get Naruto medical attention soon… no, he did not want to even consider that possibility.

"_Why… why did I not see it sooner? That look in Sasukes' eyes, that intent. There was no mistaking it, and yet I clung to the belief that my poor words could keep him from that path…"_

He shook his head. There were more immediate concerns to think about right now, the issue with Sasuke could wait until then.

"Mmmmmnnnnn…"

"Huh, you awake Naruto?" Kakashi asked, rather surprised. He hadn't expected Naruto to be able to regain consciousness' this soon, considering his wounds. He took a quick glance over his shoulder.

Naruto was beginning to sweat lightly, his face becoming feverishly red. He was mumbling various incoherent words, some of which almost sounded like a conversation. This went on for a few moments, before he lapsed into silence once more. His fever did not abate however.

Kakashi gave Naruto one last concerned look as the village came into view. As he leapt from the final tree to the ground below, he couldn't shake the slight chill that overcame him.

A.N: So how was that? A big battle between Naruto and Kyuubi for the ultimate prize. How will this turn out. And how will this effect everyone else?

By the way, to the people who were interested in this fic, I offer my thanks and apologies. It took me quite awhile to decide just where this story was going, and where I should take it. I eventually settled on this one because it is more dramatic and interesting than my other idea.

My next chapter should come much sooner, now that I have a firm idea as to what I want to do with this story.


	3. Internal Strife

Disclaimer: I think that everyone knows by now that I do not own Naruto, so let's just get straight to the story.

"Speech"

"_Thoughts"_

"**Kyuubi Speech"**

"**_Kyuubi Thoughts"_**

****

Through Crimson Eyes: Internal Strife

Tsunade was currently in a state of panic as she milled about, shouting orders to the various Medical Nins as Kakashi arrived, a mangled Naruto limp upon his back. Her heart clenched in fear and concern, taking in his wounds, and she quickly got the mob of people back under control.

"Clear the way, clear the way everyone! You, Shinji…!" She called out to her left, toward a young Ninja dressed in what looked to be a white medic uniform.

"Hai, Hokakge-sama!" The young man replied quickly, his face a mask of determination.

"Get a stretcher prepared, and help me to get him up to the emergency wing of the hospital! Kakashi, place him on the stretcher then follow me! I want full details, as many as you can give me!"

"Hai, Hokage." Kakashi responded despondently, his one visible eye clouded with worry. After placing Naruto on the stretcher, he became aware of a slight ruckus among the crowd, a familiar voice making itself heard above the general noise. His eye closed sadly.

"I was hoping that she wouldn't show up yet."

* * *

Within the shifting void stood two figures, both facing each other in silent battle poses. They were twins, their forms identical as they faced off. Time seemed to stand still, and for long moments, neither moved.

Then, as if by unspoken agreement…

"AAAAAARRGGGHHH!"

"AAAAAARRHHHHHH!"

The two figures lunged at each other at full speed, their hands moving simultaneously into various seals as they drew upon their chakra, blazing blue versus pulsing crimson.

"RASENGAN!" An orb of pure chakra gathered in Narutos palm as he sped forward, his momentum such that the mist beneath his feet swirled about behind him like a comet trail.

"RASENGAN!" Kyuubi shouted, his own orb a swirl of blood red chakra, the mist parting before him as he rushed forward to meet his opponent.

The misty void surged about them, reacting to the massive energy that they had collected. They drew closer to each other, their faces twisted in fury and battle lust. In the space of a second, they collided.

BOOOOOOOM!

A massive explosion of chakra expanded in all directions, the darkness driven back by the immense light. At the heart of the inferno, the two fighters' attacks struggled for dominance. Almost as quickly as it started, it was over, the collision of chakra sent out another shockwave, blowing both fighters backward. Each landed heavily on the ground. As soon as they hit, they were up again, once again taking fighting stances, gauging each other. There was no room for hesitation; both knew that weakness meant death.

"Heh, not bad, not bad at all boy!" Kyuubi shouted, his face split into a feral grin. His right arm was slightly singed, smoke still rising from his hand.

"Just you wait furball, I'm gonna show you what a future Hokage can really do!" Naruto shouted back. His own face was smug, his customary smirk on his face.

"Well then, why don't you SHOW ME!" Without any more warning, Kyuubi/Naruto dashed forward again, seeking to overwhelm his enemy as quickly as possible.

"Heh, bring it on fuzzball." Narutos hands began to quickly form the seals of his trademark technique. "KAGE-BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

Instantly, nearly three dozen Narutos sprung into existence about him. All at once, they then began to charge forward, each of their palms out.

"RASENGAN!" The thirty Narutos rushed forward to intercept Kyuubi head on. Just as the first three were about to strike, Kyuubi suddenly vanished, mist swirling about his form. The three Narutos passed through harmlessly, their attacks detonating against the ground, the shockwave dispelling all three.

"What the…?" The other 27 exclaimed at once. Their musing was cut short however as one of the Narutos was suddenly struck by Kyuubi as he reappeared, a vicious round house to the neck. As he hit the ground, the other 26 vanished into smoke.

Naruto smashed into the shadowy ground, his impact sending mist spiraling about him.

"How...?"

Kyuubi stood above him smugly, smirking maniacally, his eyes glowing red. He tapped a finger to his temple, as if in silent explanation.

"Demon eyes can't be fooled as easily as human eyes, boy. While the Kage-Bunshin creates clones capable of fooling even the bloodline abilities of the Byakugan and Sharingan, Demon eyes can see on another level entirely." He licked his lips. "I do hope that that is not all that you've got. If it is, I suggest that you tuck your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye."

Naruto rose to his knees, spiting out a bit of blood. He wiped his chin before throwing a grin at his counterpart. "Hey furball, you missed one!"

"Wha…oommf" Kyuubi was thrown backward as a Naruto clone suddenly appeared in front of him from the mist, his fist smashing into his face, throwing him back.

"You may have Demon Eyes or whatever, but let's get one thing straight here fuzzball, MY MIND MY RULES!" With that, both Narutos rushed forward after the downed Kyuubi, seeking to take advantage of the situation.

Kyuubi was up before they got there, but the impact of the previous blow left him reeling enough to restrict any offensive counter in time. He found himself pressed backward as the two Narutos' struck at him from both sides. However, after a few moments of constant blocking and dodging, Kyuubis' fist shot out, striking the Naruto on his right, catching him beneath his guard under the chin. Spinning with the movement, Kyuubis' foot lashed out a half second later, catching the second offender in his side. Both Narutos flew back, both landing in opposite directions. The one to the right vanished into thin air.

"This maybe your world and your rules, but I have a thousand years more experience. Besides, lets not forget, this is as much my body as it is yours." Kyuubi stated, his face now twisted in a scowl.

Naruto rose again, slower this time, clutching his side. "Damn…"

AN: Well, how was that for the battle scene? Don't worry, it's not over just yet, and I have still yet to discover myself which one will be victorious. Again, sorry this took awhile, but I'm on a bit of a roll now so my next chapter should be out within the week.

If people have any preferences or ideas for the story, please don't hesitate to mention them (as long as they are sensible). It might sway the direction the story takes.


	4. To the Victor go the Spoils

Disclaimer: Do I really need to go through this again? Oh alright. I do not own Naruto and any other characters associated with Naruto. Any original characters are mine however so please do not use without my permission.

Through Crimson Eyes: To the Victor go the Spoils…

"Kakashi-sensei!" The pink haired ninja cried out, her cropped hair waving behind her as she made her way through the crowd. A few feet behind her was another girl, this one with short blue/black hair and white eyes. Said eyes were currently focused on the boy on the stretcher.

When she got there, Sakura drew in a sharp breath as she got a good look at Naruto. Tears welled up in her eyes. "K-Kakashi-sensei, what happened!"

Kakashi looked at her sadly, his one eye downcast. "Sasuke." That was all that was needed.

Sakura looked at him in complete shock, the cold reality finally settling on her fully. She looked back at Naruto, who lay sweating on the stretcher as they carried him off, his head thrashing about violently. He looked as if he were in the middle of a bad dream.

"…W-what's wrong with him?"

Both Kakashi and Sakura turned to see Hinata standing there, her hands clasped worriedly in front of her. Her eyes remained locked on Naruto as he was carried off.

Kakashi sighed. How best to explain this, without revealing too much. "He suffered a massive wound from his battle with Sasuke. It should be alright" he added quickly, hopping to head off any tearful reactions, "but he is going to placed into intensive care for a while."

This seemed to placate Sakura, but Hinata's worried face did not relax. There was something else, something she could not put her finger on. She was better than many others her age in sensing chakra, her training with the Byakugan honing her senses to a higher point than the average ninja. It was still not nearly as good as her fathers or Neji's, but it was enough to sense a strange, almost frightening aura about him. She bit her lip absently.

Kakashi, of course, noticed her behavior. He only hoped that she would not delve too much into it. Naruto had enough to worry about with out having his secret completely blown.

"Kakashi, follow me!" A yell from Tsunadae broke him from his thoughts. Giving one last look at the two girls, he left to follow the Fifth, his thoughts dark.

* * *

"AAARRRRGHHHH!" A scream pierced the darkness as Naruto hit the ground again, rolling several times before he finally ground to a stop. He was bleeding quite badly at this point; his lips were stained from coughing up blood. After a moment, he looked up, his eyes half-lidded.

Another figure stalked him from the mist, its movements alone emanating murderous intent. Kyuubi stopped just in front of Naruto, his face only slightly damaged. His lips split into a wide grin as he regarded his fallen opponent.

"Is this it? Is this all that the future Hokage is made of? This is pathetic, you really are a no talent fool." Kyuubi's grin suddenly changed into a sneer as his leg shot out, catching Naruto directly under the chin. Naruto cried out again before hitting the ground.

"This can't be all that you've got?" The Kyuubi screamed at him. He stalked forward again, and Naruto, despite himself, attempted to crawl backwards.

"How sad, this isn't even fun anymore. Well then, I suppose that it is time for me to finish this off. After all…" Kyuubi stopped for a moment, gauging Naruto's reaction "…I want to get on with my next game as soon as possible."

"N-next…game…?" Naruto mumbled weakly.

Kyuubi grinned again. "Of course, after all, once you body is mine, there is a whole village of ninja that I will be able to destroy." His eyes glittered mischievously as Naruto gave a sudden cry of protest. "Especially that pink haired girl, she will be so much fun. I wonder how long she can last." He mused, almost to himself.

"D-don't you dare, I won't let you…"

"Heh, you are in no position to be dictating anything boy. Of course, maybe I should start with, what was his name, oh yes, Iruka."

"NO!"

Kyuubi continued on as if he hadn't heard. "of course, the taste of men never really sat well with me. In that case, I suppose I could go for that interesting Hyuuga girl…"

"ARRRRGGGHHHH" His scream tore from his throat before he even realized it. He jumped to his feet, ignoring the throbbing pain, and lunged forward, all of his momentum directed toward the creature that tormented him. Kyuubi, however, had expected this kind of attack.

Naruto's punch was stopped short as it slammed into Kyuubi's ready palm. He did not stop however, throwing all of his strength and momentum into it, he thrust his leg upwards, grazing Kyuubi's chin as he attempted to dodge out of the way. After that second attack, he felt a sharp impact against the side of his head, and was once again thrust backward. He landed heavily, but was up again almost immediately, panting.

The Kyuubi regarded him for a moment, and then began to chuckle ominously.

"Heh heh, what's wrong? Did I make you angry?" He spread his arms wide in invitation. "Then feel free to do something about it!"

With a growl, Naruto shot forward again, faster this time. His hand went out to the side as chakra began to gather, blue chakra with a hint of red. His face now looked very similar to his double, his eyes red and slit, the whisker marks wide.

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed. "Interesting…" he managed to get out before he was forced to dodge again. _'It seems as though he has already begun to change… this is better than I had hoped!'_

* * *

"Get him on the bed NOW!"

A group of white garbed medical nin immediately placed Naruto on the large hospital bed, though the process was a bit difficult due to his constant thrashing. About half way to the hospital Naruto had begun to go into a fit, his body now burning with fever. This greatly worried both Tsunade and Kakashi, both understanding the possible reason.

"Ok help me to get his shirt off; we need to get him bandaged right away!" _'Please still be there, please…'_

They lifted the shirt, and her breath caught in her throat. There on Naruto's stomach, around his navel, was the seal. Or what was left of it. The four way seal on the outside of the spiral had burned away, and the spiral itself was beginning to disintegrate even as she watched.

"K-Kakashi."

"Yes Hokag…" His voice trailed off as he noticed what she was staring at. _'No, it isn't possible…'_

Tsunade continued, her voice unsteady "Kakashi, I-I want you to go out and round up as many of the ANBU as you can. Tell them…"

She took a moment to collect herself, tears now making their way down her cheeks.

"…Tell them that the Seal is broken."

* * *

Sakura and Hinata sat across from each other out in the main hall of the hospital, both of them consumed by silence. Sakura was bombarding herself with self-loathing and pity, and Hinata was still distraught by the frightening chakra she had sensed.

After nearly fifteen minutes of silence, Sakura finally decided to voice her self-accusations aloud.

"It's my fault…" She mumbled to herself. Hinata heard her however.

"P-please don't s-say that Sakura-san!"

"But it is! I wasn't able to do anything, I just sat there as they left. I'm completely useless; I've always been the useless one. It's all my fault." She broke down, her tears streaking down her face.

"It's not your fault." Another voice shouted down the hall. The two girls both looked up suddenly to see Shikimaru standing there, his normally bored expression twisted in anger.

"It's not your fault Sakura." He said again, turning towards the pink haired girl. "I think we all know whose fault it is."

"But if I had just…"

"It would not have made any difference." Shikimaru stated, cutting her off. "Sasuke wouldn't stop for you no matter what you had said to him. If you had gone with us, Naruto and Sasuke would have still fought. There was nothing you could have done to stop them; they were itching for that fight for a long time."

The door to the room suddenly opened, and Kakashi stepped out. His face was ashen, his eye dark. His appearance did little to ease the anxiety of the three young ninjas in the hallway.

"H-how is he?" Hinata spoke first, her soft voice carrying in the soundless hall.

Kakashi didn't answer. Instead, he began to stride off down the hallway towards the entrance. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shouted. The three of them ran off after him. Sakura ran ahead until she stood right in front of him, her tear stained face hardened in determination.

Shikimaru spoke up, voicing the question all three had been wanting to ask. "What is going on? This is more than a simple injury isn't it?" Hinata's breath caught in her throat involuntarily at Shikimaru's question, her own internal fear having been given credence.

Kakashi regarded them sadly. "I'm sorry… but I can't discuss this now."

"Why!" Sakura shouted, her tears flowing again. She knew there was something going on, something far deeper than anyone was revealing. All this secrecy was tearing her apart inside.

"What is going on?" Shikimaru asked again, his composure hanging by a thread. "There is something going on with Naruto isn't there? Something that you're not telling us. What is it?"

"We are forbidden to speak of it…"

"TO HELL WITH THAT! What the hell is going on here! What are you hiding! What kind of secret does Naruto have that would require silence like this!" Shikimaru shouted, his cool finally broken.

"Please Kakashi-san, what is wrong with Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked quietly, her eyes filling with tears as well.

Kakashi looked at all three before finally sighing in defeat. "Ok… you win… I will tell you everythi…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He was cut off by an ear piercing scream from inside Naruto's room, the sound echoing down the hallway. All four turned in shock, their bodies moving instantly towards the source of the horrible cry.

"Shit!" Kakashi whispered as he ran back as fast as he could, the three younger ninjas following close behind him.

* * *

The battle continued unabated within the depths of Naruto's psyche, the darkness pierced by frequent flashes of red light, the silence broken by guttural growls and explosions.

"Much better boy!" The Kyuubi shouted, his now blood stained face filled with malicious glee. He was panting heavily, his tongue hanging out over his teeth like a salivating animal. His crimson eyes burned with battle lust.

Across from him, Naruto stood, his face nearly as bestial as his counterpart. He too was panting heavily. They regarded each other for a few moments.

"Well, this has gotten much more interesting, ne Naruto?"

"…" Was the only reply Naruto gave, his own red eyes gleaming in the dark.

"Heh, very well. Then let's finish this!' With that he lunged forward again.

Naruto shot forward again as well, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. His hand drew back, red chakra gathering around it. Kyuubi did the same.

They continued forward.

Closer…

Closer…

They were nearly upon each other, their arms thrusting forward, all their power being put into this final blow.

Then, at the last moment, Kyuubi drew his hand back, leaving his chest wide open. He grinned, his smirk wavering only slightly as Naruto's chakra empowered hand slipped into his chest, through the rib cage, and out the other side, blood exploding out from the wound. His grim remained even as blood began to leak between his teeth.

Naruto suddenly came back to himself as his attack connected, the crimson red abating as he realized what happened. "Why!"

They stood like that for many moments, as if caught in time. Kyuubi's grin widened, revealing blood stained teeth. He began to laugh, his mirth choked occasionally by a cough of blood.

"… Heh... I have… already seen… what I wanted to see!"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, his voice portraying his shock.

Kyuubis grin grew impossibly wider as he reached down to grasp Narutos arm, dragging his impaled body closer to the completely horrified boy.

"It… seems… that you have won the battle… congratulations!" He chuckled sarcastically.

"B-but…"

"I… never had any intention… of winning this battle. It would… have done me no good. Even after I escaped, I..." He began to cough more deeply. After it passed, he continued "even when I escaped… I realized that I was still trapped. My essence had been bound too completely to yours. Because… because of that, I would never have been able to take possession of your body. So I guess I'll have to settle for the next best thing.

He coughed a few more times. His eyes burned into Naruto's, their red depths still simmering with bloodlust. "So again, congratulations. And… as they say… to the victor go the spoils.

H coughed once more, his body suddenly dissolving into red mist, swirling about Naruto.

"**ENJOY…"** Was that last thing that Naruto heard as the mist suddenly began to swirl quicker, before suddenly bombarding him, his whole body encompassed by a cocoon of crimson energy.

Naruto screamed…

* * *

AN: Whew, long chapter. Well, how was that for a conclusion to the battle? Like it? Hate it?

By the way, sorry for not updating for a while. Midterms are such a pain in the ass.

The next chapter will of course deal with the after math of this battle and how it will affect Naruto. You can bet that the Kyuubis 'gift' will be more than he bargained for.

Just to give some insight into my decision for this battle, I want to make it clear that Kyuubi is certainly NOT doing this out of the kindness of his heart. All over the net, stories like this nearly always involve a reformed Kyuubi, or a Kyuubi who actually comes to like Naruto, and wants to help. My depiction, I think, keeps him a bit more in character, revealing him to be the evil, bloodthirsty manipulative bastard that he is.

Last thing, in regards to the Naru/Ten idea. Ido like the idea, but I cannot, in all honesty, figure out a plausible way to fit such a pairing into the story without it seeming forced. But it is an interesting idea that I could try to implement. And as for the coupling that will occur, well let's just say that, despite what people may think, I am not sold on the Naru/Saku or Naru/Hina pairings. That is not to say that they could not happen, but it is not a guarantee.


	5. The Time for Truths

Disclaimer: Here we go again. I do NOT own any of Naruto except any characters that I come up with my self.

Through Crimson Eyes: The Time for Truths.

"…"

"What it is it Gaara?" A blond haired girl asked, her attention drawn back towards a younger boy, one with fiery red hair and black rimmed eyes.

The young demon container simply stood still, not acknowledging his sisters inquiry, facing towards the village they had just left.

"I felt something…" He said after a moment, his voice soft.

"Huh, felt something? Like what?" This from another young man, dressed all in black with rather odd makeup.

Temari looked at Gaara, her face filled with concern. It wasn't often that Gaara was affected like this. _'Whatever it was that can draw Gaara's attention like that, it can't be good…'_

Gaara continued to gaze back at the village, his thoughts troubled. _'It is that boy, Naruto. I can feel his chakra even from here. But it has changed, somehow, it's…'_ He turned to his two siblings. "Temari, Kankuro, you two go back to the Sand Village. I am staying here for right now."

"WHAT!" They both yelled at the same time.

"What do you mean your staying here? The whole Sand Village is awaiting our arrival. A new Kazekage must be chosen and you have been asked to…"

"Don't make me repeat myself, sister" Gaara stated quietly, his soft tone doing nothing to curb the shiver that it sent down Temari's spine. Her mouth shut immediately.

"But, what are we supposed to tell the village when we come back without you?" Kankuro asked, his hands shaking slightly as he confronted his younger brother. Although Gaara was not quite as, disagreeable, as he used to be, it was none-the-less dangerous to question his decisions and actions.

"Tell them what you want, I do not care. There is something here that is currently more important." Gaara stated, already halfway down the path back to the village.

"Hey!" His siblings shouted. Their departing brother paid them no mind however.

'_So he is truly the same'_ Gaara thought to himself, a slight smile, a sight that nobody, not even his siblings can ever claim to have seen, gracing his face.

'_The same as me…'_

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

It had happened before any of them had a chance to react. A sudden surge of blood red chakra had erupted from the boy lying on the bed, his entire body arching against the mattress as scream after scream tore from his throat. All of them, even Tsunade, were blown back against the walls by the sheer force of it.

After shaking her head a few times to clear it, the Fifth looked up at the boy writhing on the bed, her face a mix of deep sadness and absolute horror. Naruto's entire body seemed to be pulsing with barely contained demonic energy. In fact the entire room seemed to be filled with raw chakra, ripples of energy caressing the walls, leaving large cracks in their wake, blood red flames dancing across the floor under her feet. Around her, several other medical nins were coming to as well, their faces reflecting similar expressions of terror.

Naruto continued to writhe about, his screams rising to a fevered pitch, the power alone enough to shatter the tile on the floor beneath his bed.

Slam the door to the infirmary flew open suddenly, slamming into the wall harshly as Kakashi, followed by Sakura, Hinata, and Shikimaru burst in. Their eyes grew wide at the scene before them.

Naruto's body was arched off the bed at a violent angle, his head thrown back, mouth opened as violent screams tore from his body. He writhed about on the bed, his entire body consumed in blood red chakra, its emanations clearly seen and felt by the four new occupants. The walls of the room continued to crack and blister, various pieces of machinery combusted, the shrapnel flying about dangerously. The most horrifying sight, however, was his face. His features were contorted in agony, hair wild. His whisker marks were wide and jagged, nothing like the almost cutesy marks that they were so used to. The most terrible feature, the one that captured their attention, was his eyes. They were wide open, the pupils slit like that of a wild cat. And, unlike the beautiful cerulean that they were all so accustomed to, his eyes were now a blazing crimson.

"N-NARUTO-KUN!" The normally quiet Hinata shrieked, her own cry barely heard over Naruto's screams. Tears streaked down her already stained face unfettered, droplets falling to the floor. Each scream caused her to flinch, yet her eyes remained locked upon the boy on the bed.

Sakura said nothing, completely shaken by what she saw. Her hand reached out as if with a will of its own, and she walked towards the agonized young ninja tentatively, completely unaware of her own actions. _'N…Naru…to…'._ She was pulled back however, and found herself suddenly positioned behind Kakashi's outstretched arms.

"STAY BACK! Stay behind me!" The silver haired Jounin ordered harshly, his own voice trembling with barely contained fear.

"By Kami…" Shikimaru whispered absently, his entire body shaking.

After what seemed an eternity, the blazing aura vanished, the room loosing the eerie blood red tint as the massive youki began to settle down. Naruto's arched body dropped back bonelessly upon the bed, eyes closed, breathing shallow and irregular. His head still whipped about, as if still fighting off a bad dream, his brow still sweating feverishly. His whisker marks, however, did not abate, but remained wide upon his cheeks.

Slowly, unsteadily, everyone in the room began to breathe again. Without hesitation, Sakura broke free of Kakashi, running forward to Naruto's bedside. He was whimpering in his sleep, his body convulsing with chills as he lay there. The pink haired girls tears streamed down her cheeks.

Hinata came up behind her, her own eyes overflowing. It hurt her beyond words to see Naruto like this. To see someone who was always so full of life, whose spirit seemed to be so unbeatable. Broken. Lying shattered upon the hospital bed before her.

He had always been so strong, in the face of all adversity. So many others would have fallen against such enmity, but where others would have fallen, Naruto seemed to prosper. And it hurt her more than she could say to see him like this, and to know that there was nothing that she could do to help him.

Unlike his two distraught peers, Shikimaru looke at Naruto with a slightly more critical eye. What he had seen was definitely not normal, but he was at a loss as to what it was. Naruto had always seemed to be 'more than what he seemed'; his battle against Neji in the Chuunin exams certainly proved that. But what he had just seen was incredible. The kind of power that had erupted from him, the kind of power that could so easily throw Tsunade, the fifth Hokage, and, (grudgingly admitted of course) strongest woman he had ever seen to the ground was nothing short of mind boggling. He turned abruptly to Tsunade, his expression obviously demanding an explanation.

Tsunade, for her part, noticed the look Shikimaru leveled at her. After checking the status of the other medical nins, she glanced over at Kakashi, standing frozen at the entrance. She could not blame him though. She had heard the stories, knew of his experience against the Kyuubi 12 years ago. She could understand how the normally carefree Jounin would be shaken to once again witness the bared power of the mightiest Youkai.

"Kakashi." She called out.

Kakashi came too with a start, jolted from his thoughts "Y-yes, Hokage?"

Tsunade sighed deeply, preparing her self for the round of questioning that was sure to follow her next statement. "Go out and collect the ANBU. We will need them here in case the worst happens."

"Th-the ANBU? What do we need the ANBU for?" Sakura, who had been doing nothing but staring at the ailing Naruto, suddenly shot up, her fearful green eyes now locked worriedly on the Fifth.

Hinata said nothing, but her expression clearly portrayed her concern over this new situation.

Shikimaru merely regarded her suspiciously.

Tsunade sighed again. After giving one last pointed look at Kakashi, she turned to the three worried teens, her face filled with a mixture of sorrow and anger. This, of course, did little to ease their fears. They had hoped that the worst was over, that everything would be alright. Obviously, they were wrong.

Without a word, Kakashi left the room, so engrossed in his own thoughts that he did not notice the young man standing just out side the door, his black rimmed eyes narrowed in contemplation.

Back inside the room, Tsunade now turned her full attention to the three standing before her. "Yes, I think that it is time for an explanation. You deserve to know the truth, about Naruto, and about everything."

"But Hokage! What about the law! The third expressly forbid anyone to talk abou…"

"TO HELL WITH THE THIRD AND HIS LAW!" Tsunade screamed at the cowering medic, her voice shaking the already unstable walls of the room. Her eyes were now leaking tears, her face contorted into an expression of such pent up rage and sadness that the poor ninja nearly dropped dead by the sheer force of it. "That damned law has already caused him enough suffering! It's time that it was ended, one way or another!"

"W-what law?" Sakura stuttered.

Tsunade took a moment to calm down before she faced them again. "Do you three know anything about the disaster that struck Konoha twelve years ago?"

Sakura, Hinata, and Shikimaru nodded numbly. They had all heard the stories of course.

"The Kyuubi attacked the village, right?" Shikimaru spoke up, his voice trembling slightly. He **really** did not like where this was going.

"Twelve years ago, the Youkai, Kyuubi, rampaged across the world. Village after village was wiped out, completely decimated. Inevitably, it reached our village, the Hidden Leaf Village. It was unstoppable. Even the greatest of Konoha's ninjas were powerless before it. It slaughtered countless ninjas without effort." Tsunade continued, her voice becoming more grim as she recounted the terrible story.

"But, the Kyuubi was destroyed, right! The fFourth Hokage sacrificed his life to destroy it, right!" Sakura stated, a nervous smile playing on her face. Despite her words, she could not help but feel a building dread within her gut, an unease.

"Y-yes, I remember my father telling me that story too. How m-my mother died fighting t-the demon, how she died t-to give the Fourth enough time to destroy it." Hinata was not doing much better than Sakura at this point, her eyes widening in a dawning comprehension at a truth that she was not ready, consciously, to accept.

But Tsunade was relentless. "…No. The Kyuubi was not destroyed. Such a creature as Kyuubi could never be destroyed, at least not by any means that humans possess." She took a breath, then continued "The best that he could manage was to use the forbidden jutsu, the Shiki Fuujin (Dead Demon Imprisonment). Normally this jutsu takes the life of the user, and binds their soul with the soul of the victim, sending them both into the afterlife where, as the legend goes, the two souls will be sealed for all eternity within the belly of death, condemned to fight each other until the end of time."

Tsunade then glance over at the suffering boy upon the bed, and naturally the three young ninjas eyes followed. "But such a sealing only works upon other humans. In the case of a demon like the Kyuubi, sealing it within the belly of death would have done nothing but delayed the inevitable. Being a demon, it would have broken free, and it would have grown stronger within the realm of death, returning to our world even more powerful. So he did the only thing he could do…"

Sakura, Hinata and Shikimaru all held their breaths, all of them dreading the end of this horrible tale.

"He sealed it away within a mortal container. He was originally intending to seal it away within himself, to use himself as the container, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Since he would die soon after the sealing, not enough time would have elapsed for the Kyuubi's spirit to bind to his own, and when he died, the Kyuubi would be released. No adult, because their body and chakra system was already too developed, would work either; their bodies would be quickly consumed by the demons massive power. In the end, he was forced to seal it away within the body of a newborn baby…"

"Naruto… He sealed it within Naruto." Sakura whispered, the truth settling heavily upon her all at once. It all suddenly made such perfect sense. All of the hatred, all of the names. Why he had lived all alone his entire life. It all made perfect, terrifying sense. Her emerald eyes took in the sight of the tortured boy, and, only now, began to truly realize just how much he was suffering, not only now, but for his entire life.

Shikimaru could only stare blankly. He hadn't expected this. All this time, the idiotic, ever grinning, persevering Naruto was the container of the most powerful and destructive demon in history. His normally quick mind ground to a complete halt.

Hinata was silent for a long time, her white eyes taking in the sight of the boy she had for so long admired. Finally she turned back to Tsunade, her face filled with sadness. "Why? Why a child? W-why Naruto-kun?" She asked brokenly.

"Because it has not yet fully developed, a newborn is able to contain a demon within it, its body and chakra system is flexible enough to hold it without damage being done. As for why he chose Naruto… That is something that will have to be discussed later, when he himself can hear it."

"But why? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO HIM NOW?" Sakura screamed.

"I-I'm not sure about the details, but somehow, whether it was because of Sasuke's attack, or the Kyuubi's growing connection with him, somehow the seal that held the Kyuubi prisoner within him has been broken."

"Broken! So the Kyuubi is…"

Tsunade nodded gravely. "Yes, the Kyuubi is likely running amok within Naruto's body. Before, when you saw Naruto draw upon its chakra, all you saw was a fraction of the demons power, not even a tails worth. Even in his battle with Sasuke, Kakashi reported that he felt what may very well have been only a full tail. But now, the power of all nine tails is raging through him, completely unchecked. The fact that Naruto is even still alive shows that he has become attuned to it enough that his body is actually beginning to accept the demons chakra as his own. That is why we will need the ANBU. If it is the Kyuubi that wakes up, then the only way to stop it will be to kill the container."

"NO!" Hinata screamed suddenly. "Y-you can't do that! Not to Naruto-kun!"

"Do you think I want this?" Tsunade answered harshly. "I want him to live just as much as you do, but as the protector of this village I must be prepared to do what ever it takes to protect it… What ever it takes."

"And even if it is Naruto who wakes up, there is no telling what sort of changes might have taken place. Regardless, we will need the ANBU to help deal with the situation, however it turns out."

"That will not be necessary."

* * *

AN: Sorry this took awhile, but I was having a hell of a time deciding how I wanted this situation to go. I went through nearly ten different versions before I finally settled on this one. As it is, I'm rather happy that I took the time.

So now the truth is out. After the shock wears off, how will Sakura, Hinata and Shikimaru take it? And what does Gaara have to do with all of this. As for Naruto's fate, well I am still in the process of developing exactly what happens to him.

As usual, constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated. People are welcome to send me any ideas, desired pairings ect. I make no guarantees, but such input is still very helpful.


	6. Awakening

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah... do not own Naruto... blah blah... any characters are the property of their creators... blah blah blah.

Through Crimson Eyes: Awakening.

"That won't be necessary" A soft voice floated in from the hallway. The occupants of the room quickly looked up, all of them caught off guard by the sudden newcomer.

"G-Gaara!" Sakura exclaimed, voice trembling. To say that she was uneasy could be considered a bit of an understatement, considering thefact that she was almost killed during her last meeting with the demon possessed Sand Nin. Just imagining his grotesque form, the bloodlust in his eyes, made her shudder involuntarily.

Shikimaru looked less upset, even going so far as to silently invite Gaara into the room. He had heard from Lee how Gaara had rescued him, and how his sister had 'helped him' to defeat the Sound Nin Tayuya. Given their current actions, he felt comfortable enough with Gaara, and if he knew anything that could shed some light on Naruto's current condition, he was more than willing to accommodate.

Hinata seemed at somewhat of a loss, having been unconscious during most of the Sand and Sound incident. Despite her lack of knowledge however, the boy who stood before her gave her a deep sense of unease. Remembering how casually he had dispatched those ninjas during the Chuunin exam still haunted her.

Gaara barely paid attention to them, moving immediately over to the bed, looking down at Naruto. His black rimmed eyes seemed to scan over him, as if probing, before turning upward to meet Tsunade.

"His body is recuperating from his transition. It may take awhile before his body adjusts enough that he can wake." He stated quietly. His eyes turned back down to Naruto.

"How do you know this Gaara?" Tsunade asked. His understanding of such things was not really so surprising, all things considered, yet she was still very curious as to how he could know.

Gaara was silent for long moments before he answered, his eyes never leaving the boy on the bed. "I know… because I went through the same thing."

"The same thing?"

Gaara simply nodded.

"So Naruto will be Naruto?" Asked Hinata, her voice filled with joy. She turned her eyes back to Naruto, smiling happily as a great weight seemed lifted from her shoulders.

"No…" Gaara exclaimed, thoughtlessly breaking the mood. Hinata's shoulders immediately sagged, her joy turning abruptly to deep disappointment.

"So what do you mean, how was it the same?" Shikimaru asked, inwardly groaning at the other boy's complete lack of tact.

"My demon Shukaku was bound to me much the same way that Kyuubi was bound to Naruto. However, simply sealing the demon was never my father's intent. He had to wait however until I was old enough for my body to endure a merger. When I turned five, they deemed it time, and they forcefully broke the seal, allowing Shukaku free within me…" Gaara explained calmly, as if talking about the weather.

"So what now?" Sakura asked dully.

Gaara finally looked up, his face impassive.

"We wait."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kakashi was making his way back to the hospital as fast as he could, surrounded on all sides by 12 other figures, each cloaked form bearing what appeared to be a festival mask of varying animals.

It had taken him only a few minutes to gather the ANBU, most of them already having been on their way to the hospital when they felt the sudden surge of chakra. After a quick briefing on the situation they had all taken off, their chakra empowered movements making them almost invisible to the untrained eye.

Nearly half way back, he felt Naruto's chakra spike upwards again at an alarming rate. Signaling to the ANBU, he quickened his pace. He reached up, lifting his headband from his left eye, the wheel eyed Sharingan present.

'_Is this how it will all end? Do we have any chance at all if the Nine-Tails awakens?'_

* * *

"So exactly why are you here anyway?" Sakura asked, barely masked hostility in her voice.

Gaara simply looked at her as if the answer should have been obvious. After meeting her gaze for several moments, she finally turned away, biting her lip in silent defeat.

"…Because I want to meet him…" He whispered, his voice even softer than normal. It carried none of the usual monotone emotionless ness that it usually carried, but was instead heavy with a sense of loneliness. This, of course, got rather odd stares from everyone. Gaara seemed oblivious. "I want to finally meet someone who can truly understand me."

"You have nothing in common with him!" Sakura growled. Inwardly she winced. She hadn't meant for that to come out so badly.

"And you do?" Gaara asked softly. However there was now a tone of quiet menace to his voice.

"I…" Sakura gawked for a moment before she quieted down again sullenly.

Gaara, however, continued "You've known him for so long and yet know so little. What would someone like you know of us?" His gaze turned back to Naruto again, his eyes haunted and thoughtful "To be hated, shunned, despised, feared, and all because of something over which we had no control."

"I never…"

"To be labeled a demon, to be avoided even by those who should have loved us. Do you know what that is like?" He hissed, turning abruptly back to Sakura's now stricken face. His expression remained calm as ever, but his normally cold eyes were now alight with quiet rage, their angry glare burning into the pink haired girl only a few feet away.

Tsunade quickly rose up from her seat, placing herself between the two before any more conflict could erupt.

"That's enough! This is not the time for such things." She stated sternly.

Gaara bowed his head respectfully towards the Fifth, leveling one last quiet glare at Sakura before resuming his vigil over Naruto. Sakura did the same, her gaze downcast.

Hinata did not even register the potential hostility, her gaze trained completely upon the boy lying before her. She held his hand tightly, too concerned for his well being to even notice her own unusual boldness. Her grip would tighten whenever Naruto cried out in his sleep, trying to offer what little strength she had to him.

Shikimaru sat off to one side deep in contemplation.

After a few more moments of silence, they herd the soft flutter of cloth and turned to see Kakashi standing in the door way, several cloaked figures standing behind him.

"Has he awakened?" Kakashi asked uncertainly, he strode into the room, several ANBU following closely behind.

"For right now Kakashi, we will keep the ANBU on call outside of the room. They will be called in should the need arise."

Kakashi nodded his understanding, then finally noticing Gaara, gave an incredulous look back at the fifth.

"Don't worry Kakashi, Gaara is merely here to check on Naruto, ne Gaara?"

Gaara simply nodded.

Relaxing somewhat, Kakashi gave several hand signals to the ANBU, after which they immediately left the room, positioning themselves just outside of the door. The rest vanished in swirls of smoke, most likely to take point in various locations within the hospital. Kakashi then promptly located a slightly damaged chair, and promptly took up vigil with the rest of them.

Minutes ticked by, slowly dissolving into hours, and one by one the occupants were forced to leave.

Tsunade left first, her duties as Hokage unable to be put on hold any longer. She gave a quick check over Naruto before she departed, her face filled with worry, yet tinged with a bit of hope.

Kakashi followed soon after. He too gave Naruto one last look, his own gaze dark and haunted, dwelling upon past failures both recent and foregone.

Shikimaru left an hour later, stating that he would be back tomorrow, mumbling something about how troublesome Naruto was. Despite his words, his face showed his deep concern.

Nearly 3 more hours ticked past, the silver light of the moon shining dimly through the single small window of Naruto's room. Finally, and most unwillingly, Sakura and Hinata got up as well, Hinata taking as long as she could before she forced herself to relinquish her grip on Naruto's hand. As they began to leave, Sakura passed one last suspicious look at the last visitor in the room, her emerald eyes narrowing before she finally turned away, resolved to return as early as possible tomorrow morning.

Which left Gaara.

He sat, unmoving, staring down at the boy in front of him. As the two girls finally left, he was left alone at Naruto's bedside, leaving him to his contemplations in the dark.

* * *

He swam on the very edges of oblivion.

Pain.

He could remember the excruciating pain, and then there had been darkness.

What had happened?

He couldn't remember.

He could remember pieces of a memory, a battle. But it seemed to fragmented, as if it had happened to someone else.

As he came further too, he found his senses bombarded by strange sensations.

**_Cricket, cricket_**

**_Beep, beep_**

He jerked his head about, trying to block the flood of noise which seemed to suddenly come from nowhere.

**_Cricket cricket_**

**_Beep, beep_**

**_"…man she is gonna…"_**

**_Beep, beep_**

**_Clomp, clomp_**

**_Cricket, cricket_**

**_"…now where did I put my…"_**

Naruto tried to cover his ears, yet despite any attempts, the incessant noise continued to invade his mind.

**_Beep, beep_**

**_Cricket, cricket_**

His nose seemed sensitive too. He could smell trace amounts of perfume, perfume which he somehow attributed to Obaachan.

He could also smell something that reminded him of leaves. Kakashi.

There was a stronger scent of flowers, sakura blossoms in particular. He didn't even need to think of whom that belonged to.

There was a strange cloying scent of dried sand. Sand? Who could that be?

And finally a strong hint of what seemed to be vanilla, something he could not quite place.

The noises continued to bombard him, the various scents all swirling together in his head. He felt like his head was going to burst.

It was too much!

* * *

Gaara watched patiently as Naruto's face contorted painfully before his eyes fluttered, opening slightly. The blond haired Genin slowly opened his eyes completely, and then promptly shut them tightly, wincing in sudden pain. They were open long enough, however, for Gaara to see clearly the change that had taken place within Naruto, the evidence of his new state. His eyes were still a brilliant blood red, luminous in the glare of the moon, giving him a surreal, almost demonic appearance.

"Finally awake?"

Naruto cautiously opened one of his eyes again, then quickly shut it. His vision seemed, different, somehow. As if everything suddenly stood out in sharp relief. Every little detail in the room was suddenly picked up all at once. It hurt his head.

"Y-yeah, I think so" He responded hoarsely.

Gaara nodded. "How do you feel?"

Naruto considered that for a moment.

"I feel like my blood is on fire…" He winced painfully as if to prove his statement.

"That is to be expected. Your body is still finishing its transition." Gaara stated softly.

"Transition!" Naruto asked, suddenly nervous. More memories, clearer now that he was fully awake, darted into his consciousness. He remembered the battle with his double, a clone of himself that the released Kyuubi took. Released Kyuubi…

Oh damn, what had happened!

"I-I can remember a battle…" Naruto started.

"A battle?" Gaara asked, surprise clearly evident in his tone. This bit of information was news to him.

"Yeah, there was a fight between me and the fuzz ball. We fought. Then, when I won, he suddenly turned into this weird red fog, and then everything went black.

'_Fuzz ball?'_ Gaara thought, a small sweat drop forming unnoticed on the back of his head.

Naruto went on to explain the Kyuubi's odd wager. How they had fought for what seemed like hours within the dark corridors of his mind. How the Kyuubi constantly goaded and taunted him, threatening him with the lives of his friends. He did not, however, mention how the Kyuubi lost, or his own transformation during the last stages of the battle.

Gaara listened to it all; the only indication that he was paying attention was the slightly haunted look that appeared in his eyes. His mind was racing with disturbing thoughts, his preconceived idea of Naruto's condition suddenly cast into the wind.

"That is… interesting…" He replied softly, his voice betraying none of the anxiety he now felt.

"Yeah… hey, Gaara?"

"Hmm?"

"What was it like? Your life I mean." Naruto asked cautiously.

Gaara glanced at him in open surprise, before finally settling down again. His eyes grew wistful.

"…Lonely…" Was all he said, and that was all that was needed.

"… Yeah…" Naruto agreed. He yawned.

"You should sleep, your body still needs to recover." Gaara said quietly.

"Heh, yeah probably." Naruto laughed slightly, a hint of his old self showing through. He yawned again before he nestled back into his pillow.

"And Naruto…"

"Hmmmm?" Naruto mumbled sleepily

"Thank you."

"S'no problem. What are friends for!" Naruto laugheda bitbefore he winced in pain again. The grin didn't leave his face however. After a moment, his breathing became deep and regular, his face finally calm after nearly a whole day of anquish.

Gaara continued to look on after Naruto fell back into slumber, his mind circulating that one word over and over in his mind.

'_Friends…'_

It was a word he was still very unfamiliar with, and certainly not a word ever used in association with him.

_'Friends.'_

He had to admit, however, that it did have a pleasant ring to it…

* * *

It was already well past dark as Tsunade began to make her way back home. The moon shone full in the sky, its silver radiance casting its glow down upon the village. Despite the beautiful ambiance, her mind was simply too troubled to truly appreciate it.

"Hokage-sama."

A voice from behind shakes her from her thoughts, and she turns about to face a certain gray haired Jounin.

"Yes Kakashi." Tsunade answered.

"How will this all turn out?" Kakashi asked, his pace increasing to catch up to her own. As he reached her, he maintained a respectable distance just behind her.

"… I honestly don't know. Even if Naruto remains the Naruto we know, I have a feeling that this will not be the end of his trials."

"That is the feeling that I am getting as well. That and I…" The Jounin cut himself off abruptly.

"That you what?" Tsunade asked gently.

"I can't help but shake the feeling that I failed him somehow. The technique that nearly took his life, the Chidori. The very technique that I taught him to help protect what was precious to him, was instead turned upon his own teammate with intent to kill."

"This is not your fault Kakashi. You did what you believed you had to do, and no one else will fault you for that. What you did was something that I believe anyone would have done in your position."

Kakashi bowed his head down, shadows covering his face.

"But, in the end, Sasuke made his own choice, and nothing you could have done could have prevented that." Tsunade finished, giving a sympathetic glance at the young Jounin.

Kakashi brooded for a few more moments before raising his head once again, his cheeks rising subtly upward in a small smile.

Tsunade smiled back before turning back towards her destination. Her smile faded however as she noticed a small gathering in front of her home. "What is this all about?" She asked herself. Already a sinking feeling was settling in her gut.

Kakashi looked equally disturbed. His eye narrowed.

As the two came to the large estate, one of the group came forward. Dressed in an expensive black yukata, this man looked to be perhaps in his early fourties. His black hair was combed back, flowing straight down his back to his shoulders. His milk white eyes locked on Tsunade, his lips set in a straight line.

"Good evening, Hokage-sama" Hiashi bowed respectfully. Tsunade returned the greeting stiffly.

"I assume you know why we are here?"

* * *

AN: Gomen gomen, another cliffhanger. But wow these are getting longer and longer. I ended up hiring a new muse during the course of chapter five, since my previously employed muse developed a keen taste for potato chips and television.

To all who reviewed my story, I want to offer my sincere appreciation. It is really great to see people getting into the story that I am attempting to create, and all the support really helps to keep the inspiration and motivation going.

There were a lot of responses this time with regards to the desired pairings. Thus far the poll stands at:

**Hinata: 6**

**Tenten: 1**

**Temari: 1**

**Sakura: 1**

**Ino: 0**

**Tails: 1** (Figured I would throw this in :P)

These are also appreciated, and may affect the course of the story. Don't expect one of those Las Vegas couplings however (ie a pairing that takes place in the space of a paragraph or two). Expect some good emotional buildup.

One thing I do want to point out, for those of you who will undoubtedly bring this to my attention for this chapter's reviews, I want to stop this in its tracks right now. This will NOT be a Gaa/Naru story. Yes, these two will definitely become close, it is kind of inevitable considering the kind of understanding that these two have for each other, but it is possible (despite what all the Sasu/Naru fics will have you believe) for two guys to have a good friendship with out becoming romantically involved. And that is the last that I will say on this matter.

Finally, for those who might be worried that Naruto will become super powered, yes that may be what it seems like now, given what was said in previous chapters. But bear in mind, power **always** comes at a price…


	7. Old Hatreds, Old Wounds

Disclaimer: Ok enough with the pretense; everyone knows by now that I own nothing related to Naruto T.T

**Through Crimson Eyes: Old Hatreds, Old Wounds.**

"I'm home." Hinata called out softly, delicately kicking off her sandals at the entrance of the impressive Hyuuga estate. She stood facing a large well furnished room, the main hall for the Hyuuga mansion. This room, like many others in the building, was incredibly large, too large, a fact which always served to unnerve the timid Hyuuga girl. She signed deeply, her tired body just beginning to relax after so many hours of non-stop worry.

She yawned.

"You're late you know."

Caught completely off guard, Hinata immediately shrieked, leaping nearly five feet off the ground as a small, yet undeniably stern voice, made itself heard from behind her. Whirling around, she came face to face with a younger girl, who came up to only about her waist. Despite the obvious difference in age however, the younger girl carried herself with an air of confidence that seemed to fill the room. Her white eyes locked with Hinata's unflinchingly.

"O-oh, it's you, Hanabi" Hinata stuttered. Mentally she berated herself for, once again, appearing so pathetic in front of her younger sibling.

Hanabi just stared at her for several moments, her white eyes probing. Hinata shifted nervously, her fingers immediately moving up into her classical pose, twiddling her index fingers.

"You went to visit him, didn't you?" Hanabi questioned. Hinata, despite herself, blushed a light pink at her sisters' blatant interrogation.

"H-hai…"

Hanabi merely shrugged her shoulders, as if the whole situation were of only minor interest.

"Hanabi-sama." Another voice called out.

Hanabi sighed shallowly before answering "Hai."

A young woman, probably in her early 20's, came up to the two sisters. She was holding a small robe out, an elegant floral pattern. "It is time for bed, Hanabi-sama. The mistress will be very upset if you stay up any later" The woman stated, her face slightly panicked.

"Ok, ok." Hanabi said dismissively. She turned back to look at her elder sister once more, her gaze softening slightly, before she whipped back around and began to stride down the hall way.

"W-wait, Hanabi!" Hinata called out. Hanabi stopped mid stride, but did not turn around.

"Yes?"

"I-I want to talk with… with father. Do you know where he is?" She asked uncertainly.

Hanabi suddenly tensed for a moment before she replied "He's out…"

A sudden twinge of worry settled in Hinata's stomach. She shook her head and tried to ignore it, but it remained none-the-less. A feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong…

"O-oh, d-do you k-know when he will be b-back?" She asked, her voice breaking more than usual.

"He said he had business with the Hokage, but he said that it should not take too long." She said simply.

"O-oh, I see. Well, g-goodnight." Hinata said softly. She then turned and began walking in the opposite direction, towards her room.

"Sister." Hanabi called out, turning around.

Hinata stopped "Yes…"

There was a moment of strained silence before Hanabi answered "His business involves Naruto."

At her words, Hinatas eyes flew wide open at that, her hands coming to her mouth in shock. _"N-Naruto-kun! Fathers after Naruto-kun?"_

Noticing her expression, Hanabi gives her sister a sad look. "Just thought you should know." With that, Hanabi walked off down the hall once again, turning the corner before Hinata could collect herself enough to call out to her.

Hanabi continued to walk down the hallway to her own room, her thoughts dwelling on her sister. The expression that she had seen on her sisters' face, that look of complete horror, seemed to settle in her mind. There were so many times that she wished that she could offer comfort to the meek girl, to be there for her. Times when she could hear her muffled sobs from within her room. However, she was being considered as the new Hyuuga heir, and her father had expectations that he wanted her to meet. As she reached her door, she wiped at her eyes once, contemplating going back to her sister. She dismissed it however, knowing how her father would disapprove.

'_I hope things work out for you, sister. For your sake.'_

* * *

Sakura still had not returned home yet, and was still wandering the streets of Konoha. The night was rather warm, with only a slight breeze occasionally teasing her bangs as she wandered about the uninhabited streets almost aimlessly. She had been wandering like this for nearly an hour, trying to quell the unease that she had felt building since she left the hospital nearly an hour ago. Yet the feeling had become worse as time progressed.

Her emerald eyes were cast downward, looking at nothing in particular, her mind flashing endlessly between two distinct figures:

On one side, there was a dark boy. His black hair falling down across his face, expression eternally stony and unreadable. His stance spoke of his silent confidence, bordering on arrogance, and his eyes were calm and serious. It was a vision that had graced her dreams for almost as long as she could remember, a figure which constantly inspired a confusing and exciting blur of emotion.

It was almost distressing to notice the shadow of those emotions were with her still, tugging at her heart, a dull ache like a wound that had been suffered long ago, and had not quite healed over.

On the other side was a shorter boy, his golden hair raised above his head in a spiked mop. Blue eyes glinted mischievously, and an almost fox like grin was plastered on his face…

Fox like grin…

The image shifted subtly, the blue eyes suddenly burning a dark red. The heartwarming smirk turned upward sharply, into a predatory sneer.

Sakura shook herself from her thoughts. The shock of Naruto's 'secret' was still setting in.

'_But why am I thinking such things?'_ She wondered to herself. Naruto was Naruto, she had to believe that. Still she could not shake the image in her mind, him lying on the bed, screaming in anguish. His now bright crimson orbs seeming to burn into everything that he looked at.

Drawing back to reality, Sakura looked upwards to see just where it was that she had wandered to. This area seemed much larger than her part of town, the buildings towering over her. Recognition set in quickly.

"This is close to where Hokage-sama lives." She stated to herself, her face brightening. If there was anyone in Konoha that could help her to resolve her current state of emotional flux, it was Tsunade. She began to sprint, anxious to unburden herself and hopefully find some direction for her wayward thoughts.

"I assume you know why we are here?" A voice floated toward her from the darkness, from the direction of the Hokage's home. It was a voice that she couldn't place, yet the tone was unmistakable. Now that she was focused on the voice, she could hear numerous voices, as if a crowd had gathered. There were numerous angry mutterings, only a few of which she was able to distinguish. Their tone, however, was unmistakable.

Deep inside of her, that uneasy feeling was continuing to get worse.

Making her way forward quietly, she came to a large home, the Hokage's estate, located in the center of Konoha. There in front was a large crowd of people, many dressed in ninja garb, others dressed in street cloths yet bearing various implements. And there, standing in front of them, was a grim looking Tsunade, backed by an equally grim looking Kakashi.

"What is going on?" She whispered to herself.

* * *

Tsunade stood defiantly against the large crowd, her face set in determination against the growing dissent. Behind her, Kakashi narrowed his eye, gauging the crowd thoughtfully. His right hand reached up, resting on his head protector covering the Sharingan.

Hiashi regarded the two who stood before him, then shook his head in disappointment. "Now now, there really is no need for such faces you two. We…" He gestured back to the crowd behind him "merely wish to take care of something that should have been dealt with years ago."

Tsunade scowled at that statement, her hands flexing reflexively. After a moment she managed to collect herself enough to put on a false smile. It was a smile that did not even come close to reaching her eyes.

"Deal with? Is that what you call it?" She stated almost cheerfully, her brow twitching spasmodically despite the pleasant expression on her face. Behind her, Kakashi looked more than a little nervous, his eye opened wide as terror set in. He had heard the horror stories of an angry Tsunade from Jiraiya himself, the man who probably drew out that aspect of her more often than anyone else. He knew, from that very reliable source, that there was no greater horror than Tsunade when she was pissed. And right now, she looked highly pissed! He took an involuntary step back.

Hiashi, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed by the Fifths anger, gazing back at her calmly as she wrestled against that overwhelming urge to throttle him. "We have been more than kind to him these past thirteen years, allowing him to stay in our village, even going so far as to allow him to become a shinobi. Such an atrocity should have never been allowed, and yet we allowed it." Hiashi's gaze suddenly turned steely as his own anger bubbled to the surface, along with a long dormant fear. "Yet now the consequence of that kindness is coming back to haunt us. I could feel the power of the Kyuubi as the seal broke, felt it wash over Konoha, and **you** Hokage, as the defender of this village and its inhabitants, know precisely what that means! He is now a greater threat than ever, and we would be fools if we passed up the opportunity to destroy it now while we have the chance!" Hiashi yelled, coming to stand directly in front of Tsunade as he finished his rant.

"Yeah!" One villager yelled from the crowd.

"It has to die!" Cried another.

"If we don't, it will kill us all! Finish the work it started thirteen years ago!"

"That thing killed my brother, and I want justice!"

All about, the increasing demands for retribution grew amongst the rabble, rippling like a wave amongst them. They began to shout with greater intensity.

Tsunade continue to glare at Hiashi, not backing down. Her almost maniacal grin never wavered, nor did the murderous intent in her eyes. "Do you honestly believe that I would allow such a thing?" She asked sweetly "Is this what the shinobi in Konoha have been reduced to? Reduced to nothing more than a whining, simpering mob!"

"I am warning you Hokage, stand in our way, and we will be forced to deal with you as well. Konoha has no need for a leader who harbors demons!" Hiashi growled, his composure completely broken.

"Nor does Konoha have any use for a mindless rabble!" Tsunade shot back.

"We seek to protect our families and loved ones from the tragedy that occurred all those years ago! Do not seek to judge us for wanting to protect that! You, who abandoned our village could not possibly understand!"

Tsunade was no longer even attempting to hide her anger. Her rage boiling over, she was about to erupt at Hiashi before she caught a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye, from the roof tops just behind the crowd. She smiled inwardly before adopting a defeated expression.

"Very well, you win Hiashi. I do understand your concerns in this matter; I understand the pain that you must still feel at your loss, and the loss that you all have felt." She gestured in the direction of the hospital "You will find him in the hospital in room 2-C" She concluded, her expression sorrowful.

Hiashi was momentarily taken aback at Tsunade's sudden change in attitude, his own anger deflating suddenly. Recovering, he bowed slightly to her, "Thank you for your understanding, Hokage-sama. I hope that you can forgive my harsh words as well." He then turned to the crowd behind him "The time has come! It is time to finally destroy the monster that has been living in our midst for these many years. The spirits of your loved ones will finally be put to rest!"

The crowd roared their approval before departing, their yells and chants still resounding in the air. Tsunade watched them as they left, a grin spreading across her face.

Kakashi, who had been standing off to the side, gaped at Tsunade, completely aghast. "Hokage, do you know what you have done? They'll kill him!" With that, Kakashi immediately prepared to take to the rooftops. Tsunades hand rested upon his shoulder gently, stopping him short.

"Don't worry, Kakashi. Everything is under control." Tsunade stated calmly, her grin still in place. Kakashi strained against her deceptively light grip before finally relaxing, his shoulders slumping. She gave him a sympathetic look "everything will be fine. There was no need to delay them any more."

Kakshi looked at her, shock clearly evident on his face "Delay them, you mean you were…"

Tsunade nodded as she gazed back in the direction of the departing mob, her eyes distant.

'_I'm counting on you Jiraiya…'_

* * *

"Oh God, I have to warn him!" Sakura said to herself, already shooting off down the alleyway towards the hospital. Her mind was in greater turmoil than ever, her feelings thrown into disarray. She had left just shortly after Tsunade acquiesce to the mob, the apparent betrayal cutting her deep.

'_How could she do that to him?' _She yelled mentally to herself.

'_Hell yeah! What does that bitch thinks she's doin' _Inner Sakura raged, her eyes burning, hair waving about dramatically.

She increased her speed, using all of her chakra to hasten her steps. If she could get there in time, she could warn Naruto. Despite her concerns about him, she was sure that Gaara would be able to help too, and right now she was willing to do anything that it took.

"I already lost one teammate! I will **not** lose another!"

* * *

Gaara had been watching him sleep for sometime now, his mind buried in past memories. Naruto's innocent question had sparked a torrent of pent up emotions, the strength of which threatened to consume him. Feelings of fear, of hatred. The faces of the villagers, their wide frightened eyes. The eyes of his siblings, Temari and Kankuro, filled with fear.

He remembered feeling betrayed, unloved, unwanted. His own father thought of him as no more than a mere weapon, then later sought to discard him as a dangerous failure, a mistake which needed to be dealt with.

And yet, the boy who lay before him had suffered the same pains, the same loneliness. He had been cast down, belittled, treated worse than trash. And yet, he had endured.

He had been jealous at first, seeing how he could smile so freely, so openly, despite the aggression leveled against him. After some consideration however, he found that he admired him, his determination, and his defiance in the face of adversity. He was truly strong, where he himself, in his isolation and immersion in his hate, had been weak. Their battle had shown him that.

He was jolted out of his thoughts as Naruto stirred, his head twisting about before his eyes opened, glowing slightly red in the moonlight.

"Mmmnnn, damnit! What the hell is all that noise!" Naruto grumbled sleepily, sitting up in his bed. He grimaced slightly, but the pain was nowhere near as intense as it had been earlier. His ears twitched slightly.

"…Noise?" Gaara questioned.

"Huh, oh hey Gaara, you still here?" Naruto chirped, a large grin spreading across his face. At the red heads nod Naruto took a look out the window "Yeah, there's a real racket out in the city, like a big crowd or something."

"I haven't heard anything" Gaara said.

"Huh? Maybe it's a party!" Naruto yelled, his body shooting forward before he groaned in pain, flopping back against that pillows.

Gaara just stared at him. He couldn't figure out how Naruto had come to **that** conclusion.

After sighing in disappointment, Naruto crossed his arms grumpily "And here I was hoping for some good party ramen, hmph."

"Ramen…"

"Yeah, the best stuff in the world! Have you ever had ramen?"

Gaara shook his head, his face a mask of bewilderment.

"WHAT! You've never had ramen! Well we'll have to correct that! When I get out of here, I'll take you to the best ramen bar in town! What d'ya say?"

Gaara stared at him for a few more moments before stuttering "… O-okay…"

"YEAH! You'll love it! The guy who runs the bar, I don't remember his name, but anyway he makes this really kick ass miso ramen and…" Naruto stopped short as his ears twitched again. Gaara, now hearing the noise Naruto spoke of earlier, looked out the window, his trademark expression once again set on his face. The two boys then looked at each other, the light mood dissolving into nothingness as worry began to set in. What ever this crowd was, it was certainly not friendly.

"It's getting closer…"

"… Yeah…"

Another sound drew their attention back to the window, to a figure crouched upon the sill. The figure was rather large, that of a slightly overweight man. His white hair was spread out from his head like a wild mane, held back only by a spiked forehead protector. Two stripes ran down from each eye, making him look like something out of a poorly funded Kabuki play.

Jiraiya gave them a small salute, his face splitting into a grin.

"Yo!"

* * *

AN: Well, another chapter done. Things are beginning to heat up for Naruto now thatnews of his broken seal has spread, sending a wave of panic and paranoia through the residents of the Hidden Leaf. From here on out, things will definitely get more action packed.

The next chapter should be out very soon, since this chapter is really just one part of a much larger whole. So it should only be a few days for me to go back over the second part before I put it out.

A note to **Kenjiro Akisama**: Your review was really in depth and well appreciated. In response to your uncertainty regarding Gaara's interest in Naruto, bear in mind the battle between the two of them, something that will be mentioned in story. I think, in that moment when they faced each other for the final blow, that they had each seen something in each other, a kinship. Not to mention that Naruto's new situation is probably a beacon for those who are sensitive to demonic energy. And if you want something a little more concrete, here is a small quote from Naruto Chapter 249:

"Hate, sadness, and even happiness… to be able to share it with another person… Uzumaki Naruto… from fighting with him… I learned that. He knew pain like I did. And then, he taught me that you can change that path."

This just gives an example of the kind of respect that Gaara has for Naruto, even if it's slightly out of context.

Regarding the ptentialOOC-ness for Naruto's development, I can see where one would be concerned, but I will state right now that any dramatic changes in his personality will be purely reactive to events that occur, not so much through the changes that he is experiencing, although that will have some affect as well, and it certainly will not be out of the blue. I just wanted you to know that I feel the same way about overdoing OOC-ness, and that I will endeavor to develop him in a believable manner.

The little interaction between Hinata and Hanabi was done because I really wanted to develop the bittersweet nature of their relationship, something that I feel is often overlooked by many writers. I wanted to demonstrate the strained interaction, and how the gap between them is one that neither truly wants, but are none-the-less seperated by, the ultimate crime of inter-family politics. And yes the mistress the maid spoke of is Hanabis mother, which makes them half-sisters. It's my story after all!

As for the coupling, I have an idea formulated now! And NO I will not tell anyone what it is :P. There will most likely be other pairings as well, some generic, others not. However, there is always the potential for change, so readers are still welcome to send in their preferences. I would also be interested in peoples ideas for couplings other than Naruto/.

As always, thank you to everyone for your support, critiques, and compliments.


	8. Flight

Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

**Through Crimson Eyes: Flight**

"Yo!" Jiraiya saluted, sitting almost casually upon the window sill.

The two boys who currently sat within the room stared back at him, their red and green eyes glowing eerily in the light of the moon shining overhead (think Children of the Corn creepiness). Jiraiya shuddered, a large sweat drop rolling down the back of his head.

It was an unnerving sight to say the least.

"Hey ero-senin!" Naruto exclaimed, his face lighting up, providing a stark contrast to the decidedly unnerving appearance of his eyes. Shaking himself from that thought, his expression immediately hardens, glancing over at Naruto seriously "Hey kid. I don't think I need to explain why we should get going?"

Naruto gave him a slight nod, his own face now set and serious. He moved to extricate himself from the bed, moving uneasily, his muscles still a little sore from his experience.

"Yes, it is about time that we got going" Gaara stated, immediately standing and moving towards the window. Jiraiya stared at him.

"Wait… What?"

"I said that it was time that we got going" Gaara stated again, irritated at having to repeat himself.

"What are you talking about? You're not coming!" Jiraiya argued.

Gaara merely shrugged, unmoved by the older mans outburst. "I see no reason why not. I doubt I will be welcome here, and I have no real reason to return to my own village."

"Uh uh, absolutely no way! Looking after one young troublemaker is going to be bad enough, I am not going to look after two!" Jiraiya stated, folding his arms. He gave the red head a glare.

"I am going." Gaara stated calmly, meeting his gaze evenly.

"No you're not!" Jiraiya yelled.

"I am going."

"NO, you're not!"

"I am going."

"No you're… ok ok fine." Jiraiya groused.

Naruto just sat back watching the little mini drama unfold, trying desperately to hold in his laughter. He put his hands to his mouth, his cheeks turning purple with the effort.

Jiraiya gave Gaara one last sour look before shooting a glare at Naruto, moaning mentally to himself all the while _'Damn, I was hoping that one of those girls would come instead. I can't write anything for my book when I have two guys with me! And I am certainly not writing about **that**!'_

"Are you ready Naruto?" Gaara asked.

Naruto had finally managed to stifle his chuckles, and was no making to leave, searching about the room for his customary orange ensemble. His expression had become a tad despondent, belying his growing depression. He looked back at Gaara.

"… Yeah…" He mumbled.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's just… why did it come to this? I don't want to leave. I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HOKAGE DAMNIT! How can I be Hokage when I get kicked out?"

"You'll be even less likely to become Hokage if you stay here and let them kill you." Gaara stated reasonably.

Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms in a huff.

"Then let's go you two, no time to waste now. The party's almost here." Jiraiya stated harshly.

With that, he leapt out the window to the next roof top. Naruto and Gaara followed suit, Gaara helping to pick up Naruto as he fell unceremoniously upon landing. Looking back, they saw the large throng of people enter the hospital in a giant wave. Wasting no more time, they shot off across the roof tops.

* * *

It had been one long day of surgery since he had returned to Konoha after the failed mission. His body had pushed to the absolute brink, two dangerously large holes piercing his body at his shoulder and abdomen. It had taken Tsunade's assistant nearly the whole day to work the medical jutsus that would restore his body. The entire process was excruciating, his own hair being used to substitute for the missing flesh and tissue lost in the ferocious attacks. After it was done, he felt completely drained, though he was no longer in critical condition, and was scheduled for release the very next day. 

Neji opened his eyes, scanning the hospital room that he had been sent to earlier that day prior to his operation. He looked over towards the small bowl of fruit left sitting beside his bed, his mind wandering briefly to the one who had brought them.

Tenten had tended to him nearly the whole evening, constantly trying to feed him various fruits, and altogether looking after him as one would a baby. He had mentioned several times that he was healed well enough that he could feed himself, yet the girl had still persisted. He sighed.

It was not as if he were blind to her feelings, or to her advances. They were, in fact, as clear to him as if she were wearing a painted sign. Yet she still insisted despite his rebuttals. In the end, he supposed that he would never really understand girls.

His mind invariably wandered to the strange occurrences that had happened that day. That explosion of chakra he felt had most certainly not been human. He knew exactly where it came from however. He would never forget **that** chakra, and he would never forget the visage that had grinned at him, its malevolent eyes burning into him. The feeling of it brought back that overwhelming fear that he had felt during the Chuunin exam, in his battle with Naruto…

Naruto…

He had disregarded him as a complete loser, one who foolishly sought to fight against his destiny. For such a failure to lecture him, to see himself on equal footing as him was an insult that he could not ignore. He had wanted, more than anything, to break him, to see him fall in the face of reality, to see him crushed by the same despair that had been plaguing him all his life.

Yet it was he that had been broken, and upon breaking, had been rebuilt into something better. Naruto had been the first to defeat him so completely, and he had defeated him utterly, not only in the battle, but in life as well. To face the same kind of hardship, to bear such a similar fate, and to rise above it, to fight it, even if there seemed to be no chance for success. Even a month ago, such a concept would have seen utterly laughable, yet now it only brought the hope, no matter how small, that he himself could fight his own destiny.

And he had never respected anyone more than he had him. He who had shown him how to break the bonds of destiny, and how to create his own path.

And that was why he was worried now. That explosion of chakra had been far more intense than anything he had felt before, and it had made the power that Naruto summoned during the exam seem childish in comparison. Yet it was unmistakably the same chakra.

A sound caught his ear, the sounds of numerous muffled voices like the humming of an angry beehive, seemed to float through the hallway. Neji's eyes shot open, the killer intent suddenly radiating into the building was easily perceived, and was directed at a single source.

And he could guess exactly what that source was. It was really no surprise that others in Konoha had felt that surge, and no doubt such a surge would inspire an equally powerful surge of panic amongst the citizens.

Stirring about in his bed, Neji moved to sit up, his shoulder throbbing painfully in protest. Pointedly ignoring it, he focused his chakra, letting it flow through his body where it pooled behind his eyes, the veins straining against his flesh as his bloodlimit, the Byakugan, was activated. Outside his room he could see a large mass of people moving down the hallway, making no real attempt at stealth or silence. He felt his stomach drop sharply as he noticed who walked at the head; his own uncle Hiashi.

Looking further, he noticed the room four doors down was currently being vacated by the very object of the mobs ire. He sighed in silent relief as he witnessed Naruto's departure, relieved that he would not be taken so easily. The presence of people outside the hospital might make his escape a bit more difficult however. Not to mention that once Hiashi found his quarry missing, he would no doubt activate his own Byakugan, thus making evasion nearly impossible.

Casting aside the sheets, he immediately moved to dress himself, his shoulder giving him only a minor amount of trouble. His wounds were as good as healed, and given the situation, he found no reason against taking an early leave. Besides, escape would be far easier for Naruto if he had someone to be eyes in the back of his head.

* * *

Sakura was, unfortunately, unable to reach the hospital before the crowd arrived, and had thus stuck to the shadows as best she could as she watched helplessly as the mob made its way inside. Several groups also made their way around the building, flanking it on all sides to cut off easy escape. 

This was not good.

Making her way around, she managed to pinpoint Naruto's window, just in time to see three figures leap out from the sill onto the roof top of a nearby building. She breathed in a sigh of relief, thankful that someone had managed to get there to warn him in time. As she readied herself to pursue them, she noticed another figure leap after them from a window several rooms down, his long black hair waving behind him as he silently followed Naruto into the moonlit city. Loud cursing from Naruto's room drew her mind back to the matter at hand, the angry yells indicating that Naruto's pursuers had found the now empty room. Seconds later, several ninjas, Hiashi included, leapt to the hunt, taking to the roof tops as well.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura followed suit, trying to keep up with the bounding figures as they made their way across the rooftops.

* * *

The three were currently making their way towards Konohas southern entrance, their footfalls going silently across the rooftops. 

SLAM

Almost silently at least…

"Damnit" Naruto yelled out, having collapsed for the second time since their desperate flight from the hospital. Jiraiya glared back at him, his expression clearly broadcasting his annoyance. Gaara stopped again to help the young ninja to his feet. After briefly brushing himself off, Naruto and the others once again began their retreat.

"Geeze, and here I thought that you could not possibly get any clumsier. I thought I had taught you better than that!"

Naruto shot a glare back at his sometime master "What are you talking about? Ero-senin no baka! You never taught me at all!"

"I taught you one of my most spectacular and awesome moves!" Jiraiya shouted back at him, managing to pose dramatically even in the middle of his all out run "I taught you how to live free of attachment to worldly things!"

"All you did was show me one cool technique and stole my precious frog wallet so that you could go get drunk and do stupid perverted stuff! I had to practically teach myself how to actually do the technique!"

"I taught you how to access the Kyuubi's chakra!" Jiraiya reasoned.

"YOU PUSHED ME OFF A CLIFF!" Naruto raged. So caught up in his ire, his legs gave out once again, sending him face first into the tiled roof top. Jiraiya and Gaara both stopped to help him up once again.

"… May I suggest that we focus on escaping…" Gaara stated evenly. He let out a deep sigh, the puff visible even in the warm night air. The sound of pursuit behind them served to remind them of just how severe the situation was.

"What's with you tonight anyway kid, you really are more clumsy than usual." Jiraiya asked, this time more seriously. Naruto seemed ready to shoot him another scathing retort, but seeing the Senin's expression his own anger cooled a bit.

"I don't know, my legs are feeling funny for some reason. My whole body still feels kind of numb…"

Jiraiya said nothing, this new revelation causing him to relapse into his own thoughts.

Suddenly, from nowhere, Naruto was tackled bodily aside, he and his attacker were thrown heavily against the tiled rooftop. Jiraiya and Gaara both stopped immediately, each taking a stance and bracing themselves to deal with this new threat.

Cough cough "What the Hell… Neji!" Naruto choked out, his body partially covered by his assailants. The body covering his own lifted, looking down upon him, his long black hair waving a bit in the night breeze, white eyes staring down at him. He immediately rose to his feet, helping the blond haired ninja up with him.

"Jeeze, what the hell did you think you were doing!" Jiraiya yelled irritably. Wordlessly Neji pointed over to where Naruto had previously been, and there, glinting in the moonlight, were four thin shafted throwing spikes.

"I would suggest that we get moving, no doubt there are others lurking about ready to attempt the same move." Three more spikes imbedded themselves in the ground inches in front of Naruto, pointedly reinforcing Nejis argument.

Naruto nodded wordlessly, the full weight of the situation dawning on him completely. It was clear to every one that those darts were aimed to kill, a fact which Jiraiya confirmed when he quickly examined one of the darts before leaping to the retreat once again.

"Poison… Strong too. I think that if there were any question as to the motives of Hiashi and the others, they have just been answered."

"Hiashi?" Naruto asked.

"My uncle…" Neji replied, his expression dark.

"Your uncle... WAIT! Hyuuga Hiashi?" Naruto shouted. The dark haired ninja simply nodded.

"But why the hell is someone like that after me!"

"I… I don't really know myself. I don't know what you did to warrant this sort of reaction, but it was very apparent that they wished you harm, and this attack confirmed it. It seems that you are marked for death, and Hiashi has involved members from his own household. If that is the case, then you are in a great deal of trouble.

"So in addition to an angry mob we also have to deal with assassins from the Hyuuga, all of which I assume are capable of using your family's blood limit?" Jiraiya asked.

Neji nodded "Yeah, even now I can see nearly a dozen all about. You wouldn't have a chance without some method of sensing them. But we have to move quickly, they are already moving into flanking positions."

Naruto and the others silently seconded that strategy and quickened their pace, Nejis constant report of their pursuers allowing them to avoid any violent entanglements.

After about 5 minutes the gates of Konoha were in sight, looming above the rooftops, the sight all the sweeter as it meant that escape was nearly theirs.

"Alright! Almost there!" Naruto whooped, shooting off quickly, leaving his companions in the dust.

"Naruto wait, we don't know how ssafe it… NARUTO WATCH OUT!" Neji shouted.

"Huh!" Naruto asked intelligently. No sooner had he said it, a burning pain suddenly struck him in his left leg, sending him off balance in mid air. He plummeted downward, impacting heavily upon the street below, casting up a small cloud of dust.

"SHIT!" Jiraiya exclaimed, rushing down quickly to check on him. Gaara and Neji followed.

As soon as they landed, Neji tensed, his eyes moving about frantically in all directions. From the shadows, almost two dozen forms appeared, each garbed in full ninja attire and bearing the emblam of the Hyuuga main house.

"It seems that they were waiting for us…" Gaara observed, the sand from his gourd beginning to swirl about him, its violent movement mirroring his own surging anger.

"Damnit!" Neji said quietly.

* * *

AN: Ok I first want to express my apologies at how long this took me to write. After all my finals were completed I was completely brain fried, and when I recovered my groove on this story was completely broken. I had to go through and completely reread my past chapters several times before I was able to continue again. As it is, I am not particularly happy with this chapter, but hopefully my inspiration will come trickling back and the story should once again be in full swing. 

I really wanted to give Neji a part in this story, and he will most likely have a larger part in the whole saga. And don't worry, I plan on adding some of the others as well, not too mention that Hinata is not out of this just yet and will most likely make an appearance of her own.

Again, terribly sorry for how late this chapter was, but if my inspiration picks up again, I should once again be on a fairly regular update pattern. And hopefully future chapters will be better.


	9. Betrayals

Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto. If me own Naruto, me no sit here and write story based on Naruto… plus me be rich!

**Through Crimson Eyes: Betrayals**

She had left the complex shortly after her sister's final words to her, the anxiety that had been building inside of her almost ready to burst. She had never believed that it could possibly come to this, had never believed that someone like Naruto could be hated so much that they would actually seek his death. That her father was actually leading such a horrific action was another strike against her already emotionally fragile state.

Shaking away those thoughts, she bit her lip lightly in determination, hoping against hope that she would arrive in time, and praying that when she did she would be able to do something to stop this.

She had to do this.

She owned Naruto at least that much…

* * *

"DAMNIT" Jiraiya swore as he looked around at the ninjas situated in flanking positions on all sides. The Ninjas were a considerable distance from them, carefully positioning themselves to block any possible escape route, yet keeping well and clear of the highly dangerous sennin. There were roughly 12 of them, that Jiraiya could see anyway. He had no doubt that there were others, hanging back in the shadows, ready to jump in should things get out of control. After quickly gauging the situation, he shot a quick look towards Naruto.

Not good.

Naruto was already beginning to sweat heavily as the poison acted in his system, and judging by how quickly and effectively it was working; it was most certainly a lethal dose, enough to bring down even someone of Naruto's unnatural constitution. To his left, Neji stood steadfast, the veins in his eyes pulsing as his Byakugan went to work, assessing everything around him. He dropped into the classic Hyuuga fighting stance.

To his right, Gaara's sand was now swirling about him in a miniature maelstrom, the boys eyes cold and hard with chillingly deadly intent. Every now and then the sand would lash out, its movements demonstrating the young man's mood eerily, slashing at any ninja who began to edge too close. It would not be enough though, Jiraiya knew. They were outnumbered, not too mention that these ninjas were professionals, members of the Hyuuga clan branch family judging by their insignia. They might be able to take out several of the surrounding ninjas, but they would quickly be brought down in turn by the many others lurking about.

Neji's thoughts were along the same line. Though he did not doubt that he could hold his own against them for a short time, he would quickly be overwhelmed. His major worry, however, was the impending arrival of Hiashi. He could already see him approaching across the roof tops, and would be only a minute before he came. And when he did, and saw that he was here…

Neji had no doubts as to his reaction.

He would not back down however. Hiashi and the others were wrong, he knew that wholeheartedly, without even having to know about the situation. That Naruto did anything that warranted death in such a manner was unthinkable. Sure he could agree that Naruto was a bit of a trouble maker, he had heard more than enough stories, but this was far too much. He also doubted that it was because of his failure to return Sasuke, such an attempt would be considered heroic even though it failed. No, it was something else, something he had had a feeling about for awhile, ever since his battle with Naruto during the final exam. But it didn't matter; he would not back down, regardless of the consequences involved!

Gaara himself was suffering under a sensation of decidedly unwelcome nostalgia. Such a similar situation had befallen him before, and he knew very well the kind of hatred levied against Naruto now. Looking about him, he could not help the old stirrings of his hate, rage and bloodlust from welling up inside of him. He knew only too well how this situation would end, and he vowed that he would make sure that it was they who would be taken away in body bags! Casting a quick glance down at Naruto his sand began surge wildly at what he saw. His breathing became quick, heaving heavily into the night air with the desire for blood with such lust that he had not felt since his battle with Naruto.

A hand on his shoulder, however, disrupted his thoughts, and he shot a cold glare over at the older man who would dare to try and hold him back. Jiraiya simple shook his head, stating silently that it would not be prudent to attack in such a position. Despite himself, Gaara forced himself to relax and once again seal away his murderous tendencies. That did not stop him from having several pleasant thoughts regarding these ninja's entrails.

The ninjas all about them began a cautious advance.

* * *

A slight noise outside his window jarred him fully awake.

Tossing aside the large sand filled training bag he had been sleeping with, the self proclaimed Green Beast of Konoha leaped out of bed, hoping to catch a glimpse of what had awaken him. Now that he was up, he could hear various faint sounds, like soft footfalls, upon the roof above his head. Looking out the window he was just in time to see a familiar girl dash quickly down the deserted street, her pink hair flowing behind her as she ran.

"Ah, Sakura-chan" Lee exclaimed, the confusion temporarily put on hold as he mooned over his love. She was gone quickly however, causing his weird, even for an adolescent, fantasy to abate as curiosity quickly took hold. Immediately rushing to his drawer, he cast off his pajamas, an interesting heart patterned version of his usual training attire. Dressing in his customary fashion fou pa of an outfit, he leapt promptly out the window to chase after his pink haired beauty. Plus he was rather curious about those footsteps he heard earlier.

* * *

"This is the end of the line." A voice shouted.

Jiraiya, Neji and Gaara all glanced in the direction of the voice, seeing several shadows descend from the roof tops. Landing before them stood Hiashi and two more Hyuuga ninjas, both members of the main family.

"This chase has gone on far enough! For the sake of Konoha, I demand that you relinquish Naruto over to us. If you comply, there will be no need for any further discomfort."

Neji, taking a deep breath to steady himself, stepped forward, resuming a defensive stance. Hiashi, seeming to take note of him for the first time, looked at him with a mixture of anger and regret.

"We won't simply relinquish Naruto over to y-you, Hiashi-sama" Neji stated, stuttering only slightly. For one such as Neji however, who seemed to always carry himself with nothing but the utmost confidence, such a small slip in his otherwise cool exterior seemed to serve as a sign of just how bad things could become.

"Step aside Neji." Hiashi commanded softly.

"No."

The Hyuuga patriarch pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. He knew what this might come down to, as did the young Hyuuga standing before him. In many ways he was more fond of Neji than even his own children, seeing in him the true potential of the Hyuuga clan, not to mention that he was the only surviving legacy of his departed brother. He hated the idea of what he might be forced to do.

"You know what will happen if you do not obey, Neji. Don't force me to do this! Don't throw your life away for the sake of this… demon…"

_'Demon? Why would Hiashi-sama refer to Naruto as a demon?'_ Neji thought. The truth seemed to hover just out of his reach. A brief image flashed before his minds eye, an image of a demonic visage. It was the face that he had seen in his battle with Naruto during the exam, when Naruto called up that new, terrifying chakra.

Neji looked back, and for the first time that night, noticed the changes in Naruto's face. The marks upon his face, normally nothing more than 6 thin slits, were now wide and jagged, nearly covering both cheeks. His half open eyes were no longer the familiar blue, but a fearful crimson.

Hiashi completed Neji's observations "The boy who you see lying there has been a scourge upon our village for the last 13 years. It was he who ravaged our village all those years ago; he was the creature responsible for the deaths of so many, including the 4th Hokage, the strongest ninja in our village in generations!"

_'He can't possibly mean what I think he means! Can he!" _Neji thought frantically, the truth now dawning on him.

"Yes, Naruto is that demon, the one you heard about. He is Kyuubi, the Nine-Tails!"

It all made perfect sense now that he thought about it. The raw power, that demonic image, and his appearance now. But he had always been told about how the Kyuubi had been defeated by the 4th, had never even dreamed that it might actually have been amongst them the whole time. _'The adults knew though'_ a Neji concluded in a flash of insight. _'But why would they choose to act now! Why now after so many years!'_

"Now that you know the truth" Hiashi went on, noting the expressions flashing across Neji's face, "Please stand down. There is no reason for you to defend such a creature."

Other memories surfaced in Neji's mind. Images of Naruto during the exam, his seemingly endless optimism and bravado. His cousin, Hinata, and her face when she looked at him from afar. He recalled their own battle, how even when Naruto had used his new chakra, had still been completely human. His own lesson which he had been forced to learn.

"Stand DOWN!" This time Hiashi's pronouncement carried the tone of an obvious threat.

"… No."

Hiashi sighed "Very well then…" He raised his hands, his fingers moving through a series of seals, seals which Neji, and all branch members, were familiar with.

* * *

Sakura continued to rush through the empty streets, he hair trailing behind her. She could hear the sounds of foot falls just ahead of her, telling her that she was definitely going the right way. But she had no way of knowing whether or not she would be in time. She could only hope that she made it.

And if she did, what then?

This thought caused her to reel inwardly. She had been so caught up in simply getting there that she had no idea as to what she would do when she did. She supposed that the answer was obvious; she would stand by Naruto, her teammate, no matter what the situation. But she was enough of a realist to know that her presence would not make a difference, not with the odds stacked against him.

That did not matter to her though. She had let Naruto down too many times before, and she would be damned if she let him down now when he needed someone the most. And maybe, just maybe, they would be able to find a way out of this situation.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Sakura blanched in irritation at the unnecessarily loud proclamation which could only belong to…

"Hi Sakura-Chan" Lee chirped as he landed into a run right beside her, his two pet caterpillars rising high on his forehead as he gave her a large smile. While she could admit that she found Lee to overall be a very likeable person, she none-the-less found herself fighting back the urge to deck him into next week.

"Lee, this isn't exactly a good time right now." Sakura sighed.

Lee's face suddenly took a more serious edge "So I have heard, I woke up to a bunch of footfalls on my roof, and when I looked out of the window, I happened to see you. What is going on? Are we under attack!" Lee asked, his hands clenching anxiously.

"Sort of, yeah."

"No problem, I Lee, the Green Beast of Konoha, will protect this village, and my fair Sakura-chan from these intruders! YOSH… oof!"

Sakura couldn't fight the urge any more, and noted with a degree of both satisfaction and guilt as Lee crashed headlong into a building behind her. Lee was back beside her in only a second however, his face bruised and his left eye swollen to unnatural proportions.

"Lee, this is serious! We have to get to the main gates as fast as possible!"

"I wath beng sseriousth!" Le whined, barely able to talk through his swollen lips.

"Whatever."

"So then, what is this about?" Lee asked, his swelling suddenly reduced to a more manageable level.

This set Sakura's mind back on track, and her face fell as she was once again hit with the enormity of the situation at hand. "Naruto is being hunted."

"WHAT? Who is chasing Naruto-kun, I'll take them out! What village is attacking? Is it the Sand or the Sound again!"

"…Leaf…" Sakura muttered under her breath.

"I'll pound them into the dirt! I'll break their arms and legs, and then their… huh, did you say Leaf?"

"Yeah."

This soured Lee's mood considerably. Like Sakura, the concept of Leaf ninjas seeking to kill Naruto came as a complete surprise. His large brows furrowed as he wracked his brain in an attempt to understand why such a thing would happen.

"But why would they be after Naruto-kun? What did he do?" Lee asked, completely at a loss.

Sakura merely shrugged, her face filled with worry.

"Surely it isn't because Naruto failed in that mission? We all failed, but I didn't think that that would be the cause of…"

"It isn't that!" Sakura cut him off. She had been debating with herself as to whether or not she should tell Lee the truth. She knew Lee was a really good person, who was almost as fanatic about his precious people as Naruto was. But how would Lee's zealous devotion to his comrades fare against the truth? There was only one way to know for sure however.

"Lee, there is something that I have to tell you, about Naruto…" She began.

"Something that you have to tell me… Wait, is this about…"

Sakura looked at him quizzically _'Does he already know!'_

Lee looked over at her, his face completely serious "Did you and Naruto-kun elope!"

It took all her concentration to keep from pitching forward into a massive face plant. As it was, she narrowly avoided running into a street light.

"Ummm, did you?"

"NO!"

"Oh… so what then"

Calming down, Sakura began to patiently explain the whole situation to Lee, recounting the incident in the hospital as well as the conversation that she had heard between Tsunade and the bloodthirsty mob just a while ago. To his credit, Lee took the information rather well.

"WHAT? YOU MEAN THAT NARUTO-KUN IS REALLY THE EVIL DEMON KYUUBI, AND THAT HE HAS COME BACK TO LIFE TO DESTROY OUR VILLAGE AGAIN?"

"NO! THAT IS NOT WHAT I SAID AT ALL!" Sakura shouted back, trying to calm the taijustsu master down.

"But Naruto-kun **is** the Kyuubi!" Lee asked, more quietly this time.

"…sort of."

"Well that doesn't matter. Naruto is Naruto, and as his comrade I will do what I can to defend him! YOSH!" He cried out again, flinching only slightly at the expected strike from his outburst.

Sakura just smiled though, glad that Lee seemed willing to take Naruto's side in this. He could use all the help he could get right now.

"Thanks Lee."

"No problem" Lee said, pounding his chest dramatically.

Their attention was jerked abruptly forward however as a feeling of cold dread washed over the both of them. The air was split by a bloodcurdling scream.

* * *

No sooner had Hiashi completed his hand seals, Neji was awash with a wave of utter pain and agony. With a gasp, he dropped limply to his knees, clutching at his head were his symbol, the symbol of the Hyuuga branch house, began to blaze with an eerie blue glow. For a moment he could not even breathe, his entire body suddenly aching as each bone in his body felt as though it were throbbing, about ready to explode.

Finally, after several eternal seconds, a scream tore from his throat, a single loud wail which carried across the night air.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Hiashi's face was also filled with agony, though of a different sort. He had never wanted it to come to this, nor had ever wanted Neji, who he felt was as close to him as a son, to be put in this situation. However, he had a task to complete, no matter how high the personal cost, and if Neji stood in the way, then there was little choice. As it was, he was hoping to keep the seal activated only long enough to incapacitate him, though he understood well enough that even without meaning to, the seal could very well kill him.

"ENOUGH HIASHI! STOP THIS!" Jiraiya shouted. His hands were beginning to motion through seals of his own, but he knew that he would not be able to disrupt Hiashi soon enough to stop the jutsu already at work. Neji continued to scream.

_'No choice then, I'll have to use **that** jutsu! I'll definitely get kicked out of the village for this one!'_ Jiraiya thought to himself. He was only half way through the technique however when he suddenly felt a chill run down his back, and a low growl sound from the ground behind him. Gaara, who had been fending off the various ninjas with his sand, heard the sound as well, as did everyone else in the vicinity.

* * *

"W-what was that" Hinata stuttered. She was close to the main gates now, glad that her intuition had led her in the correct direction. As she approached however, her mind and body was suddenly overcome by a crippling terror. The murderous intent washed over her like a wave, and she was forced to stop and catch her breath.

"Was that… Naruto-kun?" She wondered. She hoped to Kami that it wasn't, that maybe it was Gaara or some one else. She did not want to believe that such horrible energy could come from Naruto. She knew logically however that there could be no one else in Konoha that possessed that level of power, and given the truth about Naruto that she had just learned, there could be no doubt.

Swallowing her fear, she forced her locked muscles to move again, and leaped towards the next roof top, the main gate now coming into sight.

* * *

There was an intense burning sensation all through his body. He was only vaguely aware of himself as he plummeted to the ground below, his attention focused entirely on the pain in his leg, and the agony that was working its way up into the rest of his body.

Naruto did not know how long he had been lying there; seconds, minutes, hours. There was no way to tell. His eyes were barely able to take in the environment around him, though he was able to make out the slightly blurred shape of a large figure looming over him. His consciousness faded.

He came back to the sound of voices, familiar voices. He knew that he should know them, but he couldn't quite place where. Another voice intruded on his consciousness, this one less familiar, but for some reason his heart began to beat faster when he heard it.

Then there came a scream, the sound piercing the haze about his consciousness like a razor sharp kunai. All at once he could feel his blood beginning to surge, a new sensation beginning to well up inside of him. His eyes flew open, fully focused but for the red haze that seemed to settle over everything.

He heard a growl, and it took him a while to discern that it had come from him. Rising slowly to his feet, he could feel a tremendous amount of energy surging through every vein in his body. The burning pain began to subside as this new fire burned away the agony, leaving only a surging euphoria.

A ripple went down the length of his spine, as if all this energy were pooling in his tails.

Tails?

When did he have tails?

Oh yeah, now he remembered, he was a nine-tails fox. It all made perfect sense to him now.

His red gaze shifted, settling upon the figure of a human in front of him, its white eyes wide with terror.

He found that he enjoyed the smell of terror.

* * *

Jiraiya didn't need to look at Hiashi's face to know that shit had just been flung from a catapult into an industrial fan. The Hyuuga patriarch's white eyes went wide and his skin went completely ashen. The ninjas all around stopped their advance and began to edge backwards their faces mirroring that of their leader.

Hyuuga Neji had stopped screaming, his body lying slumped on the ground, his shallow fall of his chest the only indication that the young nin was still alive.

Risking a look behind him, Jiraya turned around to see just how bad the situation had gotten.

H really wished he hadn't.

Naruto's body was surging with rippling red chakra, his eyes wild without any trace of recognition or humanity whatsoever. His body was jerking spasmodically has his form began to shift.

FWOOOOM!

One red furred tail sprouted from his lower back. Then a second. A third.

Naruto let off a feral howl, the transformation obviously inflicting a great deal of pain. His arms grew, red hair growing upon them as well. His feet burst from their sandles, growing and transforming until they resembled animal paws more than human feet.

A fourth tail, then a fifth.

The blond's hair began to grow, flowing down his back, the color shifting into a light red with black tips. His jacket tore at the seams, then at the zipper as the poor piece of clothing was no longer able to contain the much larger form.

"EVERY ONE GET BACK!" Jiraiya shouted, stopping only long enough to pick up Neji's comatose form before leaping back. Hiashi and the other Hyuuga ninjas were quick to heed this bit of wisdom. Even Gaara found that retreat was a prudent suggestion. He could feel his own blood pound, reacting instinctively to the raw power that Naruto was now putting out.

A sixth tail sprouted.

"KILL IT, KILL IT NOW!" Hiashi screamed, his mouth practically foaming as he gave the command.

All at once, hundreds of kunai, darts, and spikes flew towards the transforming Naruto, only to be deflected harmlessly aside by the barrier of chakra that had formed around him like a cocoon.

The seventh tail shot out from the small of Naruto's back, each tail now twitching and weaving independently of one another.

He looked up, his gaze locking on Hiashi.

* * *

AN: Yay, I've managed another chapter. Not only that, but I feel the inspiration flowing through me now, so my next chapter should only be a few days away. Terribly sorry about the wait.

As it is, I am really pleased with this chapter, and chapter ten will only get better as we get to see Naruto in action. Hiashi and the others are definatel going to need a change of underwear by the end of the next chapter.


	10. INSTINCT Revised

Disclaimer:……………………… Bah!

**Through Crimson Eyes: _INSTINCT!_**

Jiraiya, Hiashi and the other ninjas looked on in horror as the now transformed Naruto slowly rose to his feet. He now stood nearly six and a half feet tall; his lightly furred form sleekly muscled. The nine fox tails behind him swished and curled about him as if each had a mind of its own. The slits of his red eyes were now more pronounced, as were the markings upon his cheeks. Red chakra was roiling about him like crimson flames, flares of energy shooting out across his body.

Then with quick, measured steps, Naruto began to stalk forward, striding directly toward the stricken Hiashi. His lips parted in a snarl, revealing a pair of sharp canines.

There was a slight rush of air as one of the Hyuuga ninjas, apparently hoping to catch Naruto by surprise, launched into a powerful kick from his right side. It was skillfully executed, with almost no sound as he launched himself bodily at the demonic form in front of him.

Too slow…

Bending back slightly, Naruto quickly and effortlessly evaded the strike. As he passed, Naruto reached out, his large clawed hand grasped the now terrified ninja about the ankle, and, swinging him briefly about, savagely smashed him into the ground.

Repeatedly.

The others looked on in shock at the brutality that was displayed; the foolish ninja's body reduced to little more than a bloody mess in a few seconds.

After the sixth time, Naruto dropped the now limp leg, and walked over the top of the bloody mess and towards his initial target. Hiashi, who had by this time managed to shake off his initial fear, immediately motioned for his ninjas to surround Naruto. They moved immediately, albeit unwillingly, into position about Naruto, a total of two dozen.

Glancing around idly, the bestial Naruto let off a small growl, his tails lashing out warningly. His body jerked about as he instinctively sought to gauge his surrounding opponents.

"Hiashi, stop!" Jiraiya yelled, "We have to retreat." He carefully set down the unconscious Neji before turning back to the elder Hyuuga.

Pointedly ignoring him, Hiashi immediately raised his hand, giving his followers the clear signal. All at once, all 24 of the ninjas launched themselves at Naruto, many of them forming seals as they leapt in.

Confronted with this threat, Naruto sprung into action as well. Whipping about, his tails swung off in nine different directions, each one managing to catch one of the attacking humans, throwing each of them backwards with enough force to send many of them through the walls of the surrounding houses. Two of them connected solidly with the village wall over a hundred feet away. The rest of them continued in, all of them striking at Naruto using the Hyuuga taijutsu style Gentle Fist, seeking to disable Naruto's chakra points.

All they managed to hit was air.

SLASH

One of the ninjas was immediately cut down from behind as Naruto, somehow managing to appear behind him, tore through him with a clawed hand blazing with crimson claw-shaped chakra. In a rain of blood the body separated into 5 pieces as the beast continued his grisly work. Catching another ninja by the head, Naruto swung him about, smashing his body into several other ninjas who were just beginning to recover from their shock, before slamming the ninja headfirst into the pavement. Naruto's tails continued to attack as well, each seeming to possess a mind of its own as they independently attacked the remaining ninjas, flinging them backwards.

Before any of them could react from their downed position, Naruto began to rip through each of them, savagely tearing at their bodies.

In the space of a few seconds all 24 were dead, their killer covered in their blood!

Another sound caught his ears and, snarling, Naruto turned as a large crowd of people, the mob from earlier, finally made it to the scene. The jeers and chants that had been coming from the crowd died as they looked upon Naruto's transformed state, a thrill of terror making its way through the crowd. The silence turned to screams as Naruto attacked, tearing through the crowd effortlessly as he lashed out with chakra powered claws. Blood seemed to rain as villager after villager was cut down mercilessly.

Naruto's rampage was halted however when he was jerked backwards as two arms wraped around under his arms and behind his neck in a full nelson. He howled with rage, thrashing bodily about as he tried to shake the older sennin off his back.

"STOP NARUTO! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Jiraiya yelled. He hoped that Naruto might recognize his voice, and if he could just hold him back long enough he might be able to regain his senses. He pushed as much chakra as he could muster into his entire body, grappling Naruto with all of his strength.

Naruto was stronger however. Thrashing about, he was able to loosen Jiraiya's hold on him enough to throw him off. As the sennin was thrown off balance, Naruto quickly turned, delivering a powerful backhand directly to Jiraiya's jaw, sending back to crash against the village wall! After his pest had been taken care of, Naruto quickly turned back to the remaining villagers, who had taken this opportunity to run. Naruto snarled and turned his attention back to his original target. Without a pause, Naruto rushed forward, crossing the distance between them in nearly an instant, bringing his claw downwards in a brutal slash towards the Hyuuga patriarch!

A horn sounded in the distance.

Iruka was dressed and ready almost immediately after having heard the alarm. He had practiced it numerous times during drills as had all full ninjas, though there were few situations which warranted a village wide alert. The attack of the Sand and Sound had been one.

The other…

Heading immediately out the door, Iruka spotted a contingent of shinobi dashing quickly over the rooftops, their footsteps only barely heard. He leapt up to join them.

"What is going on!" Iruka shouted over the rushing wind. One of the ninjas, a man with pale blond hair tied up in a pony tail and wearing a black jacket over his vest, answered, "Were under attack!"

While this was certainly not news to Iruka, he could not help but feel a cold pit of dread settle in his stomach.

"Is it… another village, the Sound maybe?"

"No…"

Iruka could feel the cold grow more acute during the slight pause.

"…It's Kyuubi!"

Years of honed reflexes, combined with his activated Blood limit, were the only things which saved Hiashi from meeting a quick death. Almost too fast for even his eyes to follow, Naruto swiped his clawed hand viciously at the older ninja. Dodging nimbly to the right he was again barely able to dodge the tail which came sweeping in from his far right side.

And he was immediately thrown to the ground by the second tail which crashed into his ribs from the left! Driven to the pavement, Hiashi choked in pain, coughing up a bit of blood. Seeing movement, he quickly leaped backwards as Naruto's fist plowed into the ground where he had been, splitting the pavement nearly five feet in all directions.

That was hardly the end of Naruto's attack however. Hefting a sizeable slab of the shattered concrete, Naruto flung it at Hiashi with all his strength as the Hyuuga landed from his leap. Hiashi was barely able to avoid the deadly strike by quickly dropping into a roll, just in time for the slab to sail by his head before smashing into the house behind him, nearly collapsing the wall.

'_Damnit'_ Hiashi thought. As much as he was loath to admit it, he had already found himself out classed by the transformed young boy. The damage inflicted by a single attack was more than enough to demonstrate the kind of brutality that the demon boy could inflict. He knew that he could not take much more.

There was an option though. He knew that if he could hit him with his 64 Hands of Hakke, the resulting negation of his chakra would weaken it enough for him to kill it! Although was also aware that Naruto had broken the Hakke before, during his fight with Neji, that was due to the fact that he had drawn the Nine-Tails chakra through his seal, an area which Neji had not hit. Now that he was drawing upon chakra normally, there was no reason why it shouldn't work. He would have to create some distance between them, which would give him enough time to ready the attack. He took to the roof, hoping to create enough distance for him to execute his plan of attack.

Meanwhile, as Hiashi was formulating his plan, Naruto continued to advance, following him quickly to the roof. Snarling, his chakra began to burn brighter, and his movement speed suddenly increased!

Almost taken off guard, Hiashi was still able to activate the Hyuuga clan's ultimate defense. Releasing chakra from his body, he was barely able to halt Naruto's strike before he began to spin his body, the chakra that he had built up forming a dome of power which pushed him back.

"KAITEN!" He shouted as he activated the technique. Naruto was thrown back several meters by the massive explosion of chakra, only to land nimbly on his feet, and with only a second delay, thrust forward again. Retaining his calm, Hiashi dropped quickly into the Gentle Fist stance. As Naruto came within range, he unleashed his attack:

"HAKKE TWO HANDS!" He shouted has he quickly struck two of Naruto's chakra points.

"FOUR HANDS!" Two more strikes in quick succession.

Naruto reeled back as he was assaulted by the Hyuuga clans most dangerous technique, growling in pain as his chakra points were pushed.

"EIGHT HANDS!" Four more strikes.

"SIXTEEN HANDS!" Eight more strikes came in a blur as the pace of the attack doubled.

"THIRTY TWO HANDS!"

"SIXTY FOUR HANDS OF HAKKE!" He yelled as the last of his attacks struck home. Naruto was driven backward and into the ground violently, leaving a sizeable crater!

His chest heaving from the mild exhaustion, Hiashi inched forward cautiously. Though he knew that his attack had certainly not downed the demon, he would be much weaker now without his chakra.

A large form stood up in the settling dust cloud, and as the dust cleared Hiashi could see clearly the red welts upon the body, and underneath, revealed to his Byakugan, he noted that the chakra circulation had stopped.

Smirking, more confident now, Hiashi shifted into a different stance. This particular stance was only known to the Patriarch of the Hyuuga family. It was a stance that, like the 64 Hands of Hakke, struck at vital points. But unlike striking at vital chakra points, this style struck at the vital arteries, bringing about a certain, and definitely painful, death.

As he shifted stances however, he became acutely aware of something else. As he watched with increasing horror, Naruto's wounds upon his chakra points began to heal, and the chakra began to flow freely again as Naruto's supernatural rate of regeneration took over. In just a few seconds all damage caused by the 64 Hands of Hakke healed as if they had never been made.

"No… That's not possible…" He whispered in disbelief.

So shocked by the futility of his attack, Hiashi was unable to dodge quickly enough as a now fully healed Naruto dashed quickly in, delivering a brutal clawed uppercut to his face.

"AAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Screaming in pain, Hiashi doubled over has Naruto's claws slashed him directly in the face, tearing at his eyes. He could feel blood leak down his face as everything was reduced to blackness. His eyes burned painfully. He heard a faint noise, quiet foot steps resound all about him. He swung out pitifully at the sound, vainly hoping to keep the beast back.

A sharp pain drove him to his knees as a powerful kick came into the side of his leg, shattering the joint.

Another strike came to the side of his head, throwing him roughly to the ground.

The last thing he could remember before his consciousness faded was the feel of a large hand grasping him firmly by his long hair as he was yanked upwards.

Naruto stood over his fallen prey, the human's hair held tightly in his paw as he lifted him up. Drawing his other hand back, fingers straightened, he prepared to plunge his hand through the hapless creature before him.

Just before his killing stroke began to fall, he heard a voice cry out behind him.

"NARUTO-KUN"

Halting, he half turned, throwing a menacing look over his shoulder. His eyes widened slightly as his red orbs met soft white eyes.

"Oh God!"

Hinata stood horrified at the scene before her. Numerous bloody bodies lay in the street, some of them brutalized beyond recognition. Having been mostly isolated her entire life; she had never bore witness to violence of this magnitude before. She still could not believe that such brutal violence could have been committed by Naruto, though given what she saw there could be little doubt.

She heard a scream of pain from the roof top across the street from where she stood. Steeling herself, she leapt up to the roof.

What she saw shook her to the very core.

A large bestial form stood only a few yards away from her position, looking down at another fallen ninja at his feet. He stood almost twice as tall as herself, nine red furred fox tails billowing behind him. What truly horrified her was that she recognized the outfit, or what was left of it. The beast was wearing the torn remnants of a very familiar bright orange jacket and equally bright orange pants. She was also able to note the unique stripes upon its cheeks.

"N-Naruto… kun?"

What had happened? This was nothing like Naruto, he had completely changed. His nine tails whipped about, smashing into the ground and walls, leaving sizeable holes where they struck

She watched dumbstruck as Naruto reached down and grasped the fallen ninja by his hair, yanking him roughly to his knees. Her hands went to her mouth as she recognized him, taking in the terrible wounds upon his face.

"F-father…"

Naruto drew his hand back, and her body was suddenly hit with a horrible sensation as she felt the demonic chakra begin to build! It roiled about him like a thunderstorm of murderous intent, bombarding her mind with images of death!

Fighting these feeling back, she did the only thing she could think of to do. She called his name.

"NARUTO-KUN!"

Naruto spun around, momentarily distracted from his current quarry as he gauged the newcomer. There were brief images in his mind, like memories. The human who stood before him seemed… vaguely familiar. Her scent was familiar as well.

He strode towards her, her fear causing his blood to burn with bloodlust. He still could not shake that odd sensation however, that feeling that somehow this creature was familiar to him.

No matter, she would be dealt with. She was only human after all, and was little more than prey.

Charging his chakra into his hands, Naruto formed two large claws of crimson energy, and with a snarl, slashed downwards towards the terrified girl.

Jiraiya shook away the dizziness as he pulled himself out of the rather large indentation he had made in the wall. He looked about, searching for any sign of Naruto or Hiashi. Hearing a scream he quickly leapt to the roof tops, hoping to catch Naruto before he went any farther.

He felt a presence land near him as Gaara seemed to simply appear next to him, his face calm as ever. "We do not have much time left" Gaara stated.

The sennin looked at him, uncomprehending "What do you mean by that?"

Gaara seemed deep in thought for a moment as memories of his own experiences flooded his mind. Finally he answered "Naruto is being consumed by the demonic chakra. The longer he remains immersed in it, the more his humanity is eaten away by it. It becomes addictive…" He trailed off.

"I take it that you speak from personal experience"

"…"

"So what can we do?"

"… Naruto needs to be jarred awake from his bloodlust. Only someone close to him, someone who he is deeply familiar with, can reach him in this state. He simply will not be able to recognize anyone else."

"Who could we get?"

"… Not you. That has already been made very clear." Gaara stated deadpan. "The pink haired one is probably the best bet, she would be the closest to him I imagine."

'_Either that or his father figure Iruka, though I doubt that we'll be able to get him in time!'_

"Until then, all we can do is try to hold him off."

Hinata could not even scream as she saw death descending on her. She could see in Naruto's eyes a moment of recognition before they clouded over once again, the brief flash of humanity wiped out by his burning desire for blood. She shut her eyes tightly.

'_Naruto-kun, I'm sorry…_

She suddenly felt herself lifted and propelled abruptly, vaguely aware of the explosion behind her as well as an angry growl.

Opening her eyes, she noticed that she was being held in arms that were incased in a skintight jumpsuit, the upper arms tightly bandaged. Lee helped her to her feet before taking his taijutsu stance in front of her.

Now that he was able to get a better look at his opponent, Lee could feel his throat go dry. He knew from some experience that part of this feeling of dread was caused by Naruto's massive killer intent, but unlike in the past, he was finding it much harder to fight off the effects.

Filled with rage at having yet another kill stolen from him, Naruto growled at this latest interloper. He would kill them both!

"NARUTO!"

He stopped short, his red eyes widening.

Sakura had arrived just shortly after Lee, and after her initial concern over Hinata's safety, had turned her attention over to Naruto. Though she too felt the same paralyzing fear that the others had, she forced it down, imagining the Naruto she knew so well: his foxy grin, bright eyes, and carefree demeanor. These images helped her to calm the fear that his now malicious aura aroused in her. She faced him, her eyes moist as she took in his transformed state.

Naruto was thrown into a complete state of flux. He could still feel his blood boil within him, urging him to kill this creature in front of him, yet he could not bring himself to move. He simply stood there regarding her warily.

Sakura began to walk forwards, slowly, her hands raised in a passive gesture. She did not stop even as Naruto snarled at her, his chakra boiling around with enough force to shatter the ceiling tiles upon the roof.

"Please… Naruto…" Sakura whispered, her voice breaking. Naruto merely growled in response, his hands clenching and unclenching nervously.

"Please… come back… don't leave us like this…"

Naruto's growl became louder, and he began to walk slowly towards her, his tails whipping about savagely.

"Don't leave me like this…"

This seemed to be the last straw for Naruto. Howling with rage, he thrust his hand out, catching Sakura by the throat before slamming her into the ceiling. He towered over her, his red eyes narrowing, fangs bared.

Her head throbbing with pain, Sakura simply reached up and grasped Naruto's arm, her grip was light as she looked up into Naruto's bestial eyes.

Naruto drew his second hand back, his fingers forming into a point as chakra began to build at the tips.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Lee shouted as he launched himself at Naruto, delivering a powerful flying kick, hoping to knock the beast off Sakura. Without ever breaking eye contact with Sakura, Naruto's tails went into action, one of them intercepting Lee's kick while the others struck out at him from eight different angles. Lee was only able to dodge one as the other seven struck him dead on, throwing him backwards to crash next to the still shocked Hinata.

Sakura continued to meet his eyes, unflinching even as they overflowed with tears. She would not fail this time as she had so many others. She had not been able to keep Sasuke from leaving and she would be damned if she let Naruto slip away as well.

"Please…" She whispered.

"Please… come back…"

Naruto's eyes wavered, his hand poised for the kill trembled slightly. Growling softly, he thrust his hand downward…

"Kami-sama!" Iruka whispered. His thoughts were shared by the other shinobi who had arrived with him, each taking in the sight of the many slashed bodies littering the street at the main gate. Many of the victims were not even in one piece, their parts strewn about.

"Naruto… did this?" Iruka asked numbly, the question not really directed at anyone in particular. This was just too unreal, the scene before him forcefully dragging up memories of the time 13 years ago, during the attack by the demon fox. The painful memories washed over him, the old nightmares returning full force.

"WE HAVE A SURVIVOR!"

Iruka shook himself from his daze as he followed the others to where a body lay in the street.

"It's Hyuuga Neji!" The ninja exclaimed, picking up his body and hoisting him onto his back.

"Let's get him to a hospital, NOW!" One of them shouted. The others quickly complied, gathering up the two Hyuugas before making there way back to the hospital.

Which left Iruka.

He stood there, unmoving for a moment.

And then, dropping to his knees, he began to cry…

Sakura opened her eyes hesitantly after she heard the killing blow land. Looking to the side she saw Naruto's hand buried up to the elbow into the ceiling mere centimeters from her chest, the red chakra still pulsing around it.

Looking up, she could see Naruto's face, his expression a mixture of grief and horror as he looked down at her. His eyes were still red, yet they now lacked the gilt, mirror like surface of the killing beast that he had been moments ago.

"…S … Sakura-chan" He whispered hoarsely.

"Hai Naruto" Sakura whispered back. She reached her hand up slowly, stroking her hand over his furred cheek.

He immediately flinched away from her, his eyes wild as the memories of what had transpired began to crystallize in his mind. What had he done! Looking out towards the gate, he could see the bodies littered about on the ground, he could smell the blood. Looking down at his hands, he could see blood on them as well, the crimson ichor dripping from his claws to land upon the shattered roof.

Naruto then doubled over, clutching his head, a loud anguished scream tearing from his throat as the weight of what he had done settled upon him all at once. He didn't even notice when Jiraiya and Gaara landed upon the roof,

Sakura felt herself trembling as she got to her feet, and slowly began to walk towards him again, hoping to give him some manner of comfort.

Before she could reach him however, Naruto propelled himself from the roof down into the street, running as fast as he could towards the gates!

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled after him. She began to run as well, though she already knew that she would not be able to catch him.

Hinata and the others seemed to recover from the shock of the moment as well, Hinata taking off in pursuit as well.

Jiraiya and Lee merely looked at each other, their thoughts somber as they considered the pain Naruto was feeling now.

Gaara was affected as well. The carnage he had witnessed had been similar to his own outbursts back in his own village years ago. He knew the pain that Naruto felt now, better than anyone.

He had to run!

He had to get away!

Anywhere but here! He had already caused so much suffering, so many deaths!

Their screams seemed to fill his mind even as he neared the massive walls of Konoha, even as he could see the bodies littered about the street. The smell of blood was becoming overpowering.

Behind him he could hear Sakura shouting at him, but the sound simply drove him faster. He had to get away from her, had to get away from everyone. He had killed so many, and had hurt his friends, his precious people. He had nearly killed Sakura, one of his very best friends.

As he came to the wall, he poured his chakra into his legs, thrusting himself upwards and over the gigantic wall. Landing on the other side he broke into a run once again, dashing through the thick forest which surrounded the village of the Hidden Leaf.

Without looking back, Naruto disappeared into the night, his nine fox tails streaming behind him.

Two figures stood concealed in the trees, watching the carnage taking place at the gates. One of them was tall, enormous actually, with an equally enormous sword attached to his back. His companion was considerably shorter, though he carried himself with an aura of quiet menace which made the larger one seem much less intimidating by comparison. Their cloaks, black with red clouds sewn into the material, billowed in the night breeze.

"So what do you make of this situation Itachi?" The large one asked, his deep voice rumbling in his chest.

"…"

"Itachi?"

"… Let's go Kisame." Itachi answered quietly.

"What! Why!"

Itachi shot him a glance indicating that he had no interest in discussing this. Kisame ignored it "We have him right where we want him now! He has left the village with absolutely no protection! This is the perfect moment to capture him."

"You are a fool Kisame." Itachi stated. His red eyes lingered on the forest where Naruto had disappeared.

"What?"

"You are a fool to think that the two of us alone would be able to capture him at this point. He would annihilate us. Our only option now is to gather the entire organization. We must treat Naruto with a much greater degree of caution."

Kisame looked as though he might continue the argument, but thought better of it. There was no deterring Itachi when he had made up his mind, and frankly he had no desire to pursue the Kyuubi brat by himself.

The two of them then vanished into wisps of smoke.

AN: This is my second revision to this chapter. I just corrected a few more spelling and grammar errors which had previously escaped my notice before. My thanks to all of you who provided me with the constructive criticism and sharp eyes for your help in catching these problems.

Chapter 11: Pursuit should be out in a couple days. It has taken me a little while to write, but I am close to done.

To all my readers, thank you for reading.


	11. Pursuit

Disclaimer: ….. Do I really have to go through this again?

* * *

**Through Crimson Eyes**

* * *

Chapter 11: Pursuit 

"GOD DAMNIT"

Several of the Hokage's assistants cringed in fear as their leader exploded. Her rage was certainly a horrifying sight, and quite frankly none of them wanted to be around when she decided to vent her ire on one of them. They promptly made tracks.

Tsunade was unaware of their departure; her entire attention was focused on the problem at hand. Her eyes were clenched shut in an attempt to stop the tears of pain and frustration that threatened to flow down her face.

Naruto was gone.

It had been nearly a day since he had been driven away from Konoha, his body transformed by the Kyuubi's corruptive power. He had wrought a great deal of violence before hand, and she was still going over the statistics:

24 Hyuuga Jounin - dead

386 Citizens – dead

224 Citizens - Injured

That was the current count, give or take a few considering the state of some of the bodies.

Tsunade brought her hand down onto her desk again, the substantial crack that had developed during her last assault spread further. She brought her fist down again and again, each time the crack spread further. The desk had been specially constructed by some of the finest crafters in Konoha, and it was designed to be incredibly sturdy, being able to bear almost any weight. But even it would not be able to take much more punishment from the irate Hokage.

"THIS WASN'T SUPPISED TO HAPPEN!"

"KUSO!"

"KUSO, KUSO, KUSO, KUSO!"

A loud crack was heard as the desk collapsed beneath the onslaught. Standing up from the pile of wreckage, Tsunade took a moment to compose herself before calling her assistants back in. They entered timidly, their faces clearly displaying their nervousness. Snapping at them to get their asses inside, they jumped in swiftly, standing stiffly as the Hokage passed out several assignments. Another shout sent them off quickly, each of them hurrying out once again.

She looked back over the most recent file, her lips curling in a sneer as she finished penning in the last bit of information:

Hyuuga Hiashi:

Status: Eyes badly damaged in battle. The surface damage was repaired, though the quality of his eyesight has been significantly reduced from 15/20 vision to 30/30 vision. Bloodline Limit Byakugan rendered unusable due to intense tissue and opening point scarring around the eyes.

She really shouldn't feel so good reading such a report, but frankly Hiashi should be thanking her. She had been all in favor of leaving the bastard completely blind, and having his vision repaired was more than he deserved. Still the Hyuuga family had put pressure on her that she could not ignore, and as it was she doubted that they would be satisfied with the results. Oh well, she would deal with that later.

With that taken care of, Tsunade steeled herself for one of her more unpleasant tasks ahead. She still had to meet with the council to 'discuss' Naruto's fate. She knew, of course, that it would be no discussion at all; they had already decided their ruling. Hell they had probably been rehearsing this moment for the last thirteen years.

She had no doubts as to the outcome of this meeting.

* * *

She hated it.

She hated being weak, watching helplessly as those she cared about suffered because she couldn't do anything. She hated watching other people from behind as they continued to walk forward.

That's the way it had been since the beginning. She knew, of course, that Sasuke was stronger than her. She had no illusions about that, and it had been just another outlet for her own obsession. But when she had been outclassed by Naruto…

Her mood dropped at that line of thought. Is that really how she had seen him? As some stupid, no talent dead last like everybody else? She had, and that was one of the memories that hurt the most. All the times she had cast him down, belittled his efforts, compared him to Sasuke, treated him as if he were something beneath her notice. She had absolutely no right or reason to have dismissed him so easily when he had, even in the beginning, been a better ninja than she had been. But more than that, he had been a better person than she had been. She had locked that feeling away for such a long time, after all, it had been so much easier to look down at him. It had helped to block out her own feelings of inadequacy.

Her carefully constructed walls had come crashing down when Sasuke had left, and when Naruto went out to bring him back. She had watched, yet again, as her two teammates left her in the dust, and she was forced, once again, to watch them from behind, helpless to do anything but wait. But that time had been so much worse, because she had known that there was more at stake than simple pride.

And when Naruto came back, dying from a blow from Sasuke, a strike that had been delivered with a clear intent to kill, she could almost feel something break inside her. She still didn't know exactly what had broken, or maybe she wasn't ready to face what she was already aware of. But seeing him lying there, bleeding, unconscious, it all seemed horribly wrong somehow.

When she and the others had learned about his shocking truth, and to have discovered it in such a terrifying way as she and the others came face to face with his secret as his contained power nearly tore his hospital room apart, it all became clearer. And her hurt only deepened.

And to see him transformed, consumed by that demonic power, rampaging across the village in a mindless rage, that grin that he always wore completely buried underneath his released anger and hate. That had hurt even more. She had not, even then, been frightened of him. Even when she had seen the bodies of those he had killed, she could not help but feel that he was justified, that he deserved to wreak a little vengeance against the village that had, for the most part, been so cruel to him. She felt that he would have been justified if he had torn through her as well.

And now he was gone. His dreams, his goals, everything had been ground into the dust by the actions of fools. She knew that nothing would be the same, not anymore…

"Sakura, it is almost time for the ceremony" A harsh voice called from down the stairs, her mothers. Sakura's face twisted into a grimace.

The ceremony was a wake held for the 'victims' of the Kyuubi's second attack upon Konoha. A collection of selfish, self righteous assholes once again seeking to cast their petty hatred upon something that never deserved their malice in the first place. The whole ceremony would be completely hollow, she knew. Person after person getting up in front of the village and recounting how their loved one or loved ones were murdered in the demon fox's 'unprovoked' attack. More fuel for their fear and hate.

Leaning her head in her arms, she looked out across the village from her window, sighing deeply into her arms. A few tears rolled out again, remnants of her latest outburst a few minutes ago with her parents. Now that she understood Naruto better, now that his secret was out, she could see the level of contempt that people had for him. Her parents had been mortified when they heard of their daughter's involvement with Naruto, and the fight was probably loud enough to be heard all the way into the next country. It had ended with tears on both sides. But she would not back down, not this time.

She had no intention of going to the ceremony. She didn't think her heart could take it. Or her stomach for that matter, she would probably retch after one or two speeches given by the bereaved victims.

No, this would be her opportunity. She was sick and tired of being left behind, standing back while those closest to her suffered, leaving her behind.

She would leave tonight.

* * *

Hinata didn't really know what to think. She knew what she should have thought, what any member of the family would have felt were they sitting where she was now. She sat in a small, rather uncomfortable chair, looking over her currently sleeping father. She couldn't help but feel morbidly amused at just how much time she had spent in the hospital these last few months.

What was she feeling? She honestly didn't know, it was hard to place. She felt that she should be angry at Naruto, maybe even hate him for what he had done. She was probably obligated to feel angry with him. She had even tried, more out of a remaining sense of loyalty to her father than anything else, but it simply wouldn't come. She cared about him too much, and in just a short time he had become more important to her than just about anyone. He had believed in her when no one else did, and that meant more to her than anyone could possibly know.

Which is why seeing Naruto as he was last night caused her so much pain. Seeing the carefree, cheerful disposition of Konoha's loudest ninja, her loudest ninja, warped and deformed into _that_, stalking towards her ready to kill, his cheerful face twisted into a snarl of bloodlust and rage. It was an expression she had never wanted or expected to see on his face, and that had terrified her more than the possibility of her own death.

Contrary to her feelings towards Naruto, Hinata found her anger swelling easily and naturally towards the man who lay sleeping in the bed in front of her. The man who had never seen anything in her besides her position as the Hyuuga heir. And later, when Hannabi had been born, she did not get even that shred of attention. To him she was always a failure, a nobody, something so easily cast aside when a better replacement became available. She had to desperately fight down the surge of guilty pleasure in seeing him in this sad state. The man responsible for so much of her pain lay broken in front of her, taken down by the one boy who had believed in her wholeheartedly.

She knew that she shouldn't feel good about this; she knew that it was wrong.

She knew she shouldn't, but she did.

Casting one last angry look at the once proud Hiashi, she left the room quietly.

* * *

"The Kyuubi must be labeled a missing nin!"

Tsunade scowled at the collected group of old men and women who made up the Council of the Leaf, a collected group of old farts who were too stuck on tradition and their own narrow way of thinking.

At least that was her thought on the matter.

The council had unanimously agreed to have Naruto put on the missing Nin list, but more than that, they had demanded that he be classified as an S-Rank. Tsunade had, of course, argued long and hard against such an action, yet even she as the Hokage had little leverage in the face of the unified council. She really wished she could beat their old wrinkled heads in with a rusty lead pipe.

"What Naruto did was terrible, but considering the state he was in, that mob got what was coming to them! The seal had been broken, but we could have figured out a way to fix it if they had not been so thirsty for blood."

"I do not think you fully grasp the situation, Hokage-sama." One of the council members stated, his raspy voice resounding in the vast meeting hall.

"Provoked or not, the boy has proven himself far too dangerous. We would be fools to let such an abomination exist." Said another, an old crone of a woman.

Tsundade clenched her fists at her sides. This was the most she could do. She was probably the strongest kunoichi on the continent; she could smash entire buildings with a single strike. And she found herself completely helpless before this sickening group before her. Giving a rough bow, she left the chambers, smashing the large wooden door into splinters on her way out.

* * *

"I take it the meeting did not go so well?" A voice called as she stormed down the hallway.

Tsuande looked over at her former teammate, her anger still raging in her eyes. She nodded wordlessly.

"… I see…"

She glared at him "I see? Is that all you have to say? For a man who failed so miserably to keep Naruto safe, you are entirely too relaxed about this situation!"

"There is no need to be striking below the belt here. I did what I could, given how the situation turned out can you say you would have done any better?" Jiraiya said evenly, a hint of anger present in his voice. He leveled a glare back at her.

They held ground against each other before Tsunade eventually shied away. Her eyes, which had been like twin coals of burning anger cooled, revealing the pain that had been hidden beneath.

"I-I'm sorry Jiraiya… I know that you did what you could. None of us could have predicted what would happen, and certainly none of us expected what did happen. It's just…"

She couldn't continue. Her legs gave way as she slumped to the ground, her sobs wracking her shoulders with such intensity it almost seemed like she would break. Not really knowing what else he could do, the toad sannin knelt down and drew her in for a hug, letting her vent into his shoulder.

"I-I just wish… that things h-had turned out better than this! He doesn't deserve this!" She cried, an occasional hiccup making its way into her words.

Jiraiya hugged her tighter "… I know…"

It took almost fifteen minutes for her to calm down. When she did, she pushed him gently, but firmly away, giving him a brief smile of thanks before her gaze hardened again, once again assuming the role of Hokage.

"There is something that I want you to do."

"Heh, I know. I'm already packed and ready to hunt the little brat down." He chuckled, his face once again displaying his trademark grin. He gave her a thumbs up (He would die before he referred to it as the Nice Guy Pose).

She smiled back, a hint of her own self showing through as well, "You're going to need a team. In the state he is in, Naruto is far too much to handle one on one, even for you."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Well that sand kid Gaara has already stated that he is leaving in pursuit tonight, with or without company, so I figured I would duck out at around that time myself. Anybody else you plan to send?"

Tsunade smiled enigmatically "I was never planning on sending anybody with you. But I have a feeling that you'll find all the help you need waiting for you when you leave." She stated before she walked off down the hall, her shoes clacking loudly on the hard wood floor.

Jiraiya just stared after her "Huh!"

* * *

The ceremony was nearly ready by the time Hinata made her way back to the Hyuuga estate. The throng of people, all standing around wallowing in their own grief, sent a wave of revulsion through her, the intense feelings still something she was not really used to. Turning her head away she made her way to her room, her plan already solid in her mind. Packing only the basic necessities, she quickly shouldered her pack, slipping silently out the window into the deepening night. Not that she really needed to be stealthy about it, she wouldn't be missed.

Most of the Hyuuga had already left, leaving the courtyard feeling even more empty than usual. This was the last glance she planned to have of it, and despite the painful memories this place held, she could not help but take a few moments to burn this last image into her mind. After allowing herself to soak up what was left of the only place she had ever known as home, she started for the gate.

"It looks like you've grown up after all."

Whirling around with a slight 'eep' she came face to face with another pair of milky white eyes.

"N-Neji-nisan!" She stuttered, her heart sinking. She had been caught before she had even left the grounds.

"I don't think I really need to ask about where you are going. I would recommend against it though" Neji stated calmly, looking at her with that unnerving all-seeing gaze of his.

"I… I-I…" She stuttered uncontrollably. Then, drawing in a deep breath, she forced her expression to harden into what she hoped was a defiant glare, which for her ended up looking like more of a pout.

"I-I will not s-stay here. Th-there is nothing for me here now. I… I am going after Naruto-kun, and y-youcan'tstopme…" She rushed to get that last part out, her nerve almost completely broken from speaking so boldly.

Neji simply sighed, as if expecting this response "Very well then, Hinata-sama". Reaching behind him, he casually lifted up a small backpack of his own, slinging it over his shoulder as he turned and began to walk out of the Hyuuga compound.

"N-Neji-nisan?" Hinata started, utterly bewildered.

He turned back towards her "To tell the truth, there is nothing left for me here either. I have already been unofficially cast from this clan by Hiashi-sam… Hiashi-san. I stood in his way and betrayed the Hyuuga clan, and because of that I will never find a place here." He looked up, rueful smile playing on his lips, remembering "but I don't regret my actions. Naruto has done so much for this village, for me, and I can only hope that this will help me to pay off the dept that I owe to him… and to you."

"Neji-nisan, you…"

"I was planning on leaving anyway" he said quickly, cutting her off, "but I had a feeling that you would too. I wanted to see just how serious you where about this though" He turned and began walking again.

Hinata simply stared at him for a few moments before her face broke into a small smile. Nodding happily she ran after his retreating form, never once looking back towards the world that she had left behind.

* * *

It would only be a few minutes before her parents discovered she had left, but that should be enough time for her to make her way to the gates. With her pack slung over her shoulder and her headband tied securely up around her head, she slipped quietly out of her window, making her way from roof to roof before she dropped into a back alley.

'Good, no one seems to have noticed yet' Sakura thought as she made her way through the alley way towards the gate. The sun had set completely, and the village was beginning to darken as the last sliver of light began to recede. The sounds of the ceremony were starting, and it would not be long before her parents noticed she was gone. She had to leave quick.

When the gates came into view she could feel her heart soar, just a little bit. Once she was out of Konoha, she could begin her search for Naruto, a search that she was determined to do no matter the cost.

She landed in front of the gates, breathing a sigh of relief at seeing them currently unmanned. The guards were probably all at the wake, so her departure would go unnoticed.

"I guess I will have company after all."

A soft voice caught her attention. Peering out into the darkness beyond the gate, she could make out the familiar figure of a boy with a large goard strapped to his back. He was currently leaning casually against a large tree.

"Gaara?" Sakuar asked hesitantly.

The red haired shinobi simply nodded.

Well this made things a bit more complicated. She doubted she could tell him straight to his face that traveling with him would be unnerving, and he was no doubt planning on leaving so she certainly would not be able to stop him…

"Yo."

"KYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Caught completely by surprise, Sakura spun around, delivering a high powered cross hook to the shadowy figure that had appeared behind her. There was an 'omph' and a crash as the figure smashed into the ground several feet away.

"… Geeze, that was almost as hard as one of Tsunade's punches" Jiraiya groaned painfully, nursing his throbbing cheek.

"Then don't sneak up on me idiot." Sakura yelled.

"Good, you showed up. I was just about ready to leave." Gaara stated quietly. The sand nin reached down and hefted a small pack over his shoulder, apparently eager to get going.

"Ahh, Sakura-san, G-Gaara-kun?"

All eyes turned towards the direction of the latest arrivals. Neji, follwed closely by Hinata walked towards the gate from another road, their faces clearly expressing a small degree of surprise at seeing everybody else.

"Neji? Hinata?" Sakura asked. They nodded in affirmation.

"Well it looks like everybody is here."

Now everybody turned towards this last voice as Tsunade approached all of them.

Jiraiya scratched his head, "So I suppose this is what you meant by my finding all the help I'd need, eh?" He chuckled.

Tsunade nodded before turning to regard the rest of them.

"I don't think I need to waste the time stating the requirements of the mission to all of you. Needless to say that it is my hope that you can find Naruto and bring him back home where he belongs. I will do all that I can here to ensure that he has a place that he can come back to."

They all nodded, even Gaara inclined his head little.

"Good, and remember that this is a class-A mission, and I expect nothing but the best from all of you. Dismissed."

With that the ragtag group began to leave, each of them taking to the trees as the leapt away through the forest in pursuit of Naruto.

"Oh, Sakura, wait a moment."

"Huh?" Sakura asked, a little wary. She still hadn't forgotten the Hokage's actions last night.

"Here, take this." She said, handing her a large scroll. Sakura took it gingerly, eying the parchment with a small degree of awe.

"This is one of my personal scolls. Kakashi has told me about your potential, and hopefully the techniques contained it that scroll will help you on your path." She smiled, a little sadly.

"H-Hokage-sama, I don't knowh what…"

"There is no need to say anything, just… just bring Naruto back home. For all of us."

A few tears slipped down Sakura's face as she smiled back at her. She nodded.

"I will, I promise." With that, she leapt off after the others into the night.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Wait for meeee!"

A certain green beast rounded the corner a few moments after Sakura had left. A huge backpack was slung over his shoulder, and his clothing was covered in dirt, as if he had tripped constantly on his way there.

Wordlessly, Tsunade pointed in the direction they had left out side the gates. Giving her a deep bow, which almost caused his back pack to topple over his head, he took off in pursuit, still screaming Sakura's name.

Tsunade stood staring a few moments after he left before giving off a short laugh and turning back towards the village. This was one gamble that she felt certain she would win.

* * *

_AN: (Drops to the ground in the patented Crouch of the White Tiger stance) Please, PLEASE forgive me for not updating sooner, but this was so hard to write this time. Seriously though I am glad I took the extra time, and now things seem to be fully set in motion._

_Sorry for not getting to Naruto in this chapter, but it was necessary that I got that all underway. And next chapter will focus a great deal on Naruto and just what is happening to him._

_This is looking to be an interesting journey ne? Sakura, Gaara, Neji, Hinata, and Lee, all led by the Super Pervert Jiraya himself. That certainly has some possibilities._

_Well barring serious cases of writers block, my summer is well underway, which means I have more time to write, which means (hopefully) more frequent chapters. That is the plan at least._

_And I would like to offer one last thankyou to all of you who have been waiting patiently, you know who you are. Just know that I am by no means planning on abandoning this story until it is completely finished._


	12. Running

Disclaimer: AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… (Cough) umm, sorry.

* * *

**Through Crimson Eyes**

Chapter 12: Running

* * *

He had lost track of just how long he had been running. Although he doubted that he could ever run enough to escape from the reality that he had left behind him. 

He had attacked those most dear to him, his precious people. He also slaughtered hundreds of civilians, he had butchered them mercilessly. And he had enjoyed it.

He had become the very monster that everyone had always thought he was, what he himself feared he would become.

"UUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

His howl of rage and anger shook the trees around him, the heat of his chakra blazing about him like a typhoon of fire, followed by a loud crash and the sound of splintering wood as his clawed fist plowed into the thick truck of a nearby tree, sending it toppling to the earth.

His pain and anger temporarily spent, his bestial form slumped to the ground, a small growl, almost a whimper, escaped from his throat. _'I never wanted this! Not like this! Stupid fox, I never wanted this to happen!'_

The urge began to rise in him once more as he knelt on the ground, his chest burning with a fiery intensity even as his vision began to take on a red hue. He could feel the throbbing ache in his blood, that pounding urge which told him to kill. Shaking his head desperately to clear it, Naruto whimpered again as he attempted to hold onto his senses. He had managed to subdue it before he had killed his friends, but it was back with a vengeance, and he could smell the life all around him. Small game most of it, though his greatly enhanced senses detected something several miles away, the smell of humans.

Lost in the red haze, Naruto leapt into the trees, taking off in pursuit to slake his killing urge.

It was time to hunt.

* * *

"Just what the heck is in that pack of yours Lee?" Sakura asked. The others, aside from Neji, turned curious stares upon the Green Beast, each of them pausing briefly from unpacking their own things for camp to look at him, obviously wondering the same thing. Neji, of course, already knew, having known Lee during their time as teammates under Gai. He could guess what the bowl top had brought along.

"Well…" Lee started cheerfully, letting his pack drop to the ground, he began rummaging through the gigantic pack, throwing various objects of varying sizes this way and that as he began to check off his list of items:

"One sand filled practice dummy, one wooden taijutsu practice post. Several thousand pounds of extra weights, not counting those that I am already wearing. A picture of me and Gai-sensei, ten changes of clothes (all green skin tights). My personal tent, extra wrapping gauze, moose for my hair, eyebrow clippers--"

The others (aside from Neji) simply stood gawking at him. Even Gaara seemed a little bit awed.

"Why the hell did I bother to pack?" Jiraiya grumbled sarcastically. The others nodded in silent agreement.

"Oh! And my own personal copy of Gai-sensei's book: The Power of Youth! Learning to tap into the burning passionate power of the heart! autographed by Gai." Lee finished, his smile glinting in the sun, which was really odd considering the sun had set about half an hour ago. He held up the book which showed a picture of Gai standing in the nice guy pose before a brilliant sunrise, his teeth glinting brightly.

"Oh God…" Jiraiya moaned disgustedly, his eyes still locked on the book.

"Idiot." Neji said, unpacking the rest of the way.

"Umm… Didn't you go a little overboard Lee?" Asked Sakura, sweatdropping.

"… Wow…" Hinata said, her white eyes wide with awe.

"Hmph" Gaara mumbled, turning to find a suitably comfortable spot by a large tree.

* * *

"Hahahahaha! Well this has been quite a night eh boys!" One man shouted, standing over a large campfire with a group of men, all sporting shiteating grins as they counted the spoils of their latest raid upon a small village just due south. They roared their agreement.

"Yeah, nothing like a good raid to get yer blood going! And later tonight…" he chuckled lecherously, glancing over at the rest of their spoils, two young girls roughly 10-13 years of age, "…we'll have some after dinner entertainment" he finished, roughly grasping at one girl, dragging her by her chin to look at him before running his tongue across her neck and under her chin. The girl trembled with fear and disgust, tears running down her face.

They continued to shout and jeer, their noise carrying through the forest.

Red eyes stared at them from the shadows of the canopy, its gaze burning with barely contained bloodlust as it looked down at the brigands sitting there. It slipped through the trees silently, instinctively; seeking to get closer and perhaps split the prey up.

One of the bandits stood up, shouting out something crude along the lines of taking a leak, and stumbled off into the forest.

Perfect.

Humming drunkenly, the bandit halted when he heard a slight rustle amidst the bushes. Grumbling irritably, he drew his katana and stepped cautiously, albeit unsteadily forward, keeping his blade positioned before him in what looked to be a parody of a skilled kenjutsu stance.

"Oi? Who's there?" He grunted. He leered a bit, raising his blade above his head, seeking to give his little peeping tom a surprise of his own.

A flash of red was all he saw.

"Hey, Satoshi? Another man called as he and two others stepped into view. They stood uncomprehending for a moment before they promptly began to retch, dropping to their knees as they beheld the brutalized form of their fellow, his body slashed to ribbons length wise, as if torn apart by some gigantic beast.

This put them in an excellent position as a shadowy form dropped down behind them, three tail shaped blades of red energy slashing down across each of their necks…

* * *

They had been out of the village for only a few days, and for Sakura and the others, a few days with Jiraiya was quickly wearing on their nerves. It had been bad enough when Jiraiya would suggest that they stop off in the nearest town. He had told them that he was going to do some investigation. His perverted habit discovered by a rather red faced Neji when he went looking for the perverted sennin, catching him at the local women's bath house.

But what really got to them, and to Sakura in particular, was when they discovered his dirtiest secret, and in an incredibly shocking way:

They had been sitting around a small campfire they had set up after they had unpacked for camp. Neji had, grudgingly, left to go train with Lee a small distance away, the sounds of their combat ringing through the forest. Hinata was currently trying her hand at cooking under the guidance of Jiraiya, who admittedly was very good at the culinary arts. 'Probably the result of a lifetime on the road' Sakura thought.

This left Sakura by herself.

Well, not completely by herself, there was always Gaara to talk to. A shiver passed down her spine. That was just perfect; the others were all interacting with one another while she was left with the murderous, psychotic, chilly, perpetually grumpy, emotionally dead homicidal maniac.

Oh well, couldn't hurt to try.

She approached him slowly. He was sitting off to the side, barely within the fires radiance. His head was bowed down; almost as though he were… yes he was definitely reading something. It looked like a small book.

"Hey Gaara?" Sakura asked hesitantly, trying to keep her voice stable. Even though he had apparently changed, she found that she still could not forget how he had nearly killed her so easily before. It was not exactly something a person forgot.

The sand nin looked up at her, fixing her with that same emotionless stare that he graced everybody with.

A few moments of his unnerving silence prompted her to continue, if for no other reason than to cut the tension.

"So… um… what are you reading?" She asked.

He continued to regard her before he shrugged slightly, turning his attention back to the book.

Despite her unease around him, his casual dismissal definitely irked her. Putting on a shining smile to mask her irritation, she casually peeked over.

"So what are you re… urk!" Sakura's question was cut off as she read the title:

Icha Icha Paradise...

Her left eyebrow began to twitch uncontrollably. Veins popped out on her forehead. Chakra began to burn about her as righteous feminine fury began to well up with in her at the hated title.

Gaara, completely oblivious to the pink haired girls growing killer-intent, continued to read, his expression completely blank.

"Yo, what are ya kids doing over here and…? OH! Is that my latest volume of Icha Icha Paradise!" Jiraiya crowed, his face glowing with pride.

Gaara simply grunted softly.

Rubbing his hands together gleefully at the thought of another reader, Jiraiya stepped closer, "Isn't it the greatest book you've ever re…" A strange chill in the air caused him to falter however, and he looked over nervously at Sakura, who was currently fixing him with a stare so cold it could freeze the fires of Hell "Uhh… I mean… (cough) where did you get that book young man?" Jiraiya finished lamely, trying to sound stern. It didn't seem to work.

"I found it next to your things." Gaara replied simply, not looking up from the book. The chill in the air grew noticeably colder.

"Oh, well what do you think?" The old Sennin asked, trying valiantly to ignore the increasing chill on his back as Sakura continued to glare at him.

"… I…don't really get it…"

Jiraiya blinked, "Uhh… don't get it?"

Gaara nodded his head in affirmation.

By this time, the others in the camp were drawn over by the massive killer intent being emitted by Sakura. Neji glanced at her nervously. Hinata looked rather shaken, her twiddling fingers going into overdrive as her nervousness began to mount. Lee was currently hiding behind Neji and shaking uncontrollably.

Gaara was undisturbed "… Yes… like here." He said, holding up the book and pointed to the passage "Why does the girl have her face in the man's lap?" Gaara asked calmly, looking up at the now sweating Jiraiya inquisitively.

"Umm… well…"

"Was he struck by a poisoned weapon?" Gaara asked.

"Ummm…"

"Or perhaps he suffers from some sort of infection." Gaara mused to himself, turning back to re-read the passage curiously.

"UHHHH…" Jirayia continued to mumble nervously. He honestly never thought that he would be put in a situation where he would actually have to explain what was going on in his book. He had always assumed that it… er… spoke for itself.

Then Gaara added the last nail to the coffin "…And what is the whipped cream and strawberries used for?"

That did it.

"YOU SICK BASTARD!" Sakura screamed.

Then Jiraiya, one of the legendary three Sennin and arguably one of the greatest ninja Konoha ever produced, was quickly running for his life, pursued by a furious Sakura, who was spouting curses the likes of which none of them had ever heard. But by the sound of them, ignorance was probably bliss.

This left Hinata standing ramrod straight, her face practically illuminating the entire campground. Neji was doing his best to contain the small amount of blood which was currently working its way out of his nose. And poor Lee was passed out on the ground, nose bleeding uncontrollably.

"A-ano… Neji-nisan… w-what **is** the w-whipped cream and strawberries used for…?" Hinata squeaked.

Neji face flared up almost as bright as Hinata's and he ducked his head to hide his blush, "N-nothing… just forget it Hinata-sama…" He mumbled.

Lee continued to bleed.

Gaara regarded them for a moment before he shrugged and turned back to reading the book.

* * *

It was over in a matter of moments. The bandits, caught completely by surprise, didn't even have time to draw their swords before he was upon them, his claws and tails slashing through the night like crimson blades, tearing mercilessly through the human cattle. The scent of blood and fear filled the air, the thrill of the hunt and kill sending ecstatic chills through his spine. Naruto sat in the middle of the now deserted encampment, surrounded by the bloody bodies of his prey.

There was no discrimination in his mind. He cared nothing for the fact that his act of violence probably saved the lives of others, or that these creatures deserved death.

All he knew was that his bloodlust had been sated, for now a least

Then the haze passed, and his thoughts cleared a bit once again. Naruto stood, looking about him in horror at the sight before him.

"No…" He whispered brokenly. He dropped to his knees.

* * *

Sakura woke with a start, sweating beading lightly on her forehead. Looking about the camp, she noticed Neji sleeping off to one side, his sleeping bag rising and falling lightly with each deep breath. Lee slept no far away. Her eyebrow quirked a bit when she noticed that he slept with his Taijutsu training post.

A faint sound came from a little ways to her left, where Jiraiya lay snoring, mostly uncovered by his blankets. He was sprawled out in a very uncomely fashion, and she couldn't help the slight shudder that went through her at the sight.

Hinata slept a bit fitfully just a few feet away, mumbling a little in her sleep. A few time Sakura though she heard a name, but it was too soft to make out.

Gaara sat at the fire, his eyes gazing absently into the flames. He would poke it every now and then to keep it going, and then would resume his introspection.

'_How long had he been sitting there? Wasn't it about time for someone else's watch?' _She thought to herself. Rising slowly out of her sleeping bag, she walked softly over to the fire.

Gaara looked up at her, his face still that blank mask that he always had. In the light of the fire it looked even more eerie than usual. He continued to watch her as she sat down on the opposite side of the fire. After a few moments of watching her fidget nervously, he turned his attention back to the fire, giving one of the logs a light poke.

"Umm Gaara, It's time for my watch so it is ok for you to get some sleep. I'll keep an eye on the camp while you do and…"

"I can't sleep." Gaara stated simply.

"Oh, well I'm sure that if you just lay down and close your eyes you might nod off eventually." Sakura offered helpfully.

"No."

"But you must be exhausted. You don't have to worry, I can watch things just fine on my own…"

"You do not understand…" Gaara interrupted her again, "I **can't** sleep" he stated again, with a pointed ephasis on 'can't'.

"Huh, why?"

Sighing, Gaara simply stared into the fire, "Because if I sleep, then **_it _**will wake up."

"By it, do you mean that…" Sakura trailed off as realization hit.

Gaara nodded.

"Oh… but wait, that means that you haven't slept in…"

"In thirteen years…" Gaara finished.

"Kami…!" Sakura whispered.

Gaara just shrugged as it was no big deal.

'_Just what kind of horror have they endured?' _Sakura thought as she looked into the fire, hopping that some image, some solution would appear in the flames.

"And…" Sakura started before her throat closed up. Clearing it she continued "And has Naruto… has Naruto suffered the same?" She did'nt think so, he always seemed well rested, and she had seen him sleep before, but given the revelations that she had uncovered, she found her self doubting just how much she knew about the blond haired boy.

"I doubt he suffered insomnia, if that is what you mean." Gaara whispered, "But in general I would say that yes he has, if in a different way."

"A different way?" Sakura asked softly, dreading the answer.

"Like me he was born into hatred…" He stared upward for a second, remembering, "…but for him it might have been even worse than my own. I was created to be a weapon, and I was always aware of what I was and why I was despised the way I was. For him however, he grew up never knowing. Not only was he forced to bear the constant hatred of those around him, but he had to bear the guilt as well, constantly suffering under the belief that he was, somehow, the cause of everybody's misery, and for a long time he never even knew why."

Sakura was silent, staring into the fire absorbed in her thoughts.

"At least that is my take on it." Gaara finished. He poked the fire a few more times before glancing up at the pink haired girl who sat on the other side, trying to keep her tears in check.

"Go back to sleep. There is no need for you to stay up."

Sakura nodded silently, shuffling off quietly back to her sleeping bag.

Off to the side Hinata lay awake with her eyes open, her own tears spilling down onto the fabric of her sleeping bag.

* * *

The two girls, who had been in the 'company' of the brigands just a few seconds ago, had slipped away in the confusion. Their chests were heaving, their breaths quick and shallow with terror. Despite the horror of their previous predicament, things actually seemed to have gone from bad to worse.

"A-Asuna-neechan, w-what is that!" One girl whispered to the other. Her long black hair was ragged, hanging down limply over one half of her face. She trembled as she heard… what ever that thing was… pacing back and forth.

"Shhhhhhhh…" Asuna whispered back, twisting her self slightly around the tree they had hidden behind to get a better look at what it was. Despite the danger of the situation, she was morbidly curious about the beast. Besides, she had a feeling that if they attempted to run they would proably not make it too far anyway.

It was eerily beautiful in a way. It's nine fox-tails whipped to and fro as it paced around the site of the carnage, it's head lifted in the air. It's head appeared vaguely human, though it had the definite angular construction of an animal, a fox.

"P-please neechan, l-let's just go." The other girl pleaded.

"If we run off now it will likely see us. I doubt either of us could outrun it."

"But…"

"Shhhh, be quiet Kisa or…" She was cut off as the creature seemed to whimper. Turning to look back around the tree, she saw it as it dropped to it's knees, a pained expression on it's face.

"No…" It whispered, it's voice carried on the wind.

"… It spoke…" Asuna murmured to herself. Kisa poked her head over Asuna's shoulder to look for her self.

"It looks like its… crying…" Kisa whispered.

Asuna didn't answer, instead moving around the tree and out into the clearing.

"Asuna-neechan!" Kisa called out desperately, attempting to reach out and grasp her reckless older sister. Her small hand grasped air as the older girl walked cautiously towards the large creature before them.

* * *

He never thought he could feel this miserable.

His whole life he had lived miserably, yet he had persevered, had weathered the bad times and had eventually come across bright times. He had found friends, precious people. People who acknowledged him and accepted him.

And it had all been torn from him in an instant.

It was against his nature to give up and accept defeat. He had been beaten down before and he had always managed to get up again. He had always managed to get up and fight. This would be no different. He would fight just like he had before he would… he would…

But it was different. Back then, when ever he fell down, there were those around him to help him back up. But he had torn that apart too, had attacked the very people who supported him.

This time his defeat seemed to heavy for him to bear, and this time he was forced to bear it alone, something he had not had to do for quite sometime. How was he ever going to live out his dreams now?

So caught up in his anguish and self doubt, he almost failed to hear the soft crunch of leaves behind him. The sudden intrusion sent his instincts into overdrive once again, and he fought against the rising urge that boiled in his blood. He turned his head around to see a small girl step into the clearing hesitantly. Her eyes wavered slightly and he could smell the fear like a thick fog around her.

He gave a warning growl.

Another girl, this one smaller, walked out to join her, hiding slightly behind the taller girl.

"A-ano… youkai-san…" The older girl asked hesitantly.

Youkai?

The word sent a new wave of pain through him.

He growled again, deeper this time. His lips drew back across pointed incisors, and his tails flicked wildly to the sides.

So that was really how others viewed him now…

* * *

_AN: CLIFFHANGER! Hahahahahahahaha!_

_Wow, it took me so long to put out chapter 11, then I go and put out chapter 12 so quickly. Well, when you're hot you're hot I guess._

_For those who will gripe at me over Naruto's uncharacteristic change in behavior, bear something in mind; his entire life has basically fallen apart before his very eyes. He came very close to betraying his precious people, and for someone like Naruto, that is quintessential to his very sense of self. Not to mention basically becoming the very demon that people had always believed him to be, well shit like that will ruin just about anybody's self esteem. And then of course there is the small fact that he is dealing with the increasing influence of an eon old demon lord, and even someone like Naruto is not likely able to deal with such an influence easily and without scarring._

_About the two girls I introduced, will they play a major part, or will they be sliced into confetti? We'll see…_

_A little bit on my reasons for including the characters I did in the search party. I included those that I felt had been affected most by Naruto in some way or another. _

_For Gaara… well I think that one is obvious. _

_For Hinata, Naruto was her inspiration, and probably developed into something more, if her facial expressions in the manga are any hint. _

_For Neji, Naruto showed him the light, not to mention he yanked that giant stick (figurative) out of his ass._

_Jiraiya, again, obvious. Besides I just wanted him along._

_Sakura is the most obvious I think. Sasuke had left them, and now Naruto left too. I doubt that Sakura would stand idly by while both of them left, and frankly I can see her going after Naruto. Potential romance or not she is definitely one of his closest friends and I can't see her standing around when Naruto obviously needs help and comfort._

_And Lee… well to be perfectly honest I just felt like it. Besides, Lee is awesome, almost as kickass as Gaara._

_As for the others like Shikamaru, Kiba, Ino ect. I did not include them due to the fact that they simply did not play as large a part in Naruto's life. Well… I'll admit that it is cutting it a bit close with Shikamaru, since the two of them did in fact have some interaction, but given his new status as a chuunin, I figured that it made some degree of sense that he had more pressing duties, despite how much he might have wanted to go. As for the others, I did not add them because it would tire me out having to write dialogue for each and every one of them. I simply did not want to deal with that much character interaction. I will still give them bit parts in the plotline, but for the most part they are background characters._

_As for the rest of this chapter; Gaara is awesome! He can do anything; comedy, angst, you name it. He makes an excellent straight man ne? I was personally rolling around on the floor laughing when I wrote that little scene with Icha Icha Paradise. A stroke of genius on my part thank you very much. _

_Hey, I have a right to brag about my work every now and then don't I?_


	13. Schemes Borne in the Dark

Disclaimer: Knick-Knack-Patty-whack give a dog a bone, this whole thing is getting old…………… WHERE THE HELL DID I COME UP WITH THAT!

* * *

**Through Crimson Eyes**

Chapter 13: Schemes Borne in the Dark.

* * *

"I see… that's interesting." 

Nine figures stood perched upon nine massive fingers of a gigantic statue, its horrific visage dominated by the massive mouth and nine eyes upon its face. Further away, a figure floated in the air, the body held aloft by a beam of chakra. They lay writhing, their mouth open in an agonized scream as red energy poured out of their eyes and mouth, flowing in large globs into the gapping mouth of the statue.

The nine figures were currently in discussion, nonchalantly ignoring the writhing figure behind them. One of them, a man of average build and height, turned his steely gaze upon another member, this one with red eyes with three marks in the pupils.

"So then Itachi… if what you have related to us is accurate, it would seem that our plans have suffered a rather unfortunate setback." The figure intoned smoothly, his voice mild.

Itachi simply nodded.

"Well then…" He intoned out loud, turning to regard the gathered host before him "any suggestions?"

"I say we just go after the Kyuubi brat now, yeah." One figure said. It clenched and unclenched one of its hands absently, occasionally whispering something to it.

"There is no need to be so hasty Deidara. We do not know what it may be capable of at this point." Spoke another, a large hunched over figure. A massive tail swung back and forth behind it.

"Oh come on boss…" The other figure whined, "even if the kid was that powerful, there is no way that it could stand up to all of us. I say we simply go and take it by force!"

"Deidara might have a point Sasori…" Stated another. He was roughly the same height as Itachi, yet he seemed taller due to the two protrusions coming up from the neckline of his cloak, like the jaws of a Venus flytrap. His body seemed to be painted as well, with half his body painted black. "Transformed or not, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki will probably not be able to access his full power just yet. Waiting will simply give it time to adapt to its new capabilities."

"See, yeah? The brat just recently transformed, yeah. So it's probably not up to full potential yet. If we wait too long, then it might really become too tough for us to take down, yeah."

"While that may be true, the fact remains that we have no real method of separating a jinchuuriki and it's bijuu when they have merged so completely. Taking it now would be useless, and who knows what kind of damage it could cause while we are attempting to determine just what process to use."

"I say we should wait." Grunted another, a giant of a man, its broad shoulders completely filling out the dark cloak it wore.

"That might be the wiser course of action for right now." The apparent leader stated softly, his voice immediately quieting the other members.

"Oh come on!" Deidara whined.

"Stop whining, little man." This from a figure standing next to Itachi, idly bouncing his massive swords against his shoulder.

"Shut your gills shark boy." Deidara replied sharply.

"Enough." Came the leaders voice, soft and even, yet carrying an authority which quickly left the two squabbling ninjas silent. They bowed their heads slightly in acknowledgement.

The captured jinchuuriki's scream increased in pitch. The cloaked figures cast an irritated glance in its direction.

"Geeze, are they all going to be so damn loud?" muttered Deidara irritably.

"It's irritating but necessary. Just try to ignore it." Sasori said.

"Anyway… for now I would suggest caution. There is still six other jinchuuriki to acquire, not including the one we already have here. Surveillance would be the best course of action at this point."

The other eight nodded their agreement.

"Itachi."

"Hai…"

"You are still in charge of the capture of the Kyuubi. But refrain from making any moves against it until we are able to determine just what must be done."

Itachi nodded silently before his form dissolved into mist. The taller figure next to him, Kisame, vanished as well.

"Deidara."

"Yep."

"The Shukaku is currently en-route with others from Konoha to retrieve the Kyuubi. Retrieve him, and eliminate the others as you see fit. We do not need any competion for the Kyuubi; it will be problamatic enough as it is."

"Yes! Will do." Deidara crowed. With an elaborate bow, he diaspeared.

"Go ahead and follow him Sasori."

Sasori bowed as well, then vanished.

"As for the rest of you, continue to gather the jinchuuriki's as instructed. Dismissed."

One by one the other figures bowed before they too vanished. This left the last figure standing alone upon the giant statue. Behind him, the last bit of red energy surged out of the figure and the beam of chakra holding it aloft vanished. The body dropped roughly to the ground below and lay still. The mouth of the statue closed slowly, a loud inhuman groan sounding from the depths of its stone throat. Its nine eyes, two of which bore noticeable pupils, closed as well.

He watched the drained jinchuuriki breathe its last breath, watching dispassionately as they expired.

"Two down, seven to go." He whispered before he too vanished into the shadows.

* * *

"A-Asuna-neechan" Kisa whimpered softly behind her elder sister, backing off hesitantly as the creature growled at them. Asuna seemed to get the hint and began to back off as well, though her expression was a mix of fear and curiosity. 

For his part, Naruto stood to his full height, towering over the girls before him. His lips drawing back in a growl he took a step forward, his clawed hands flexing eagerly. His tails lashed about behind him, leaving destruction in all directions.

'_Youkai'_

That one word rang through his mind, over and over again.

'_Youkai'_

His eyes closed tightly, as if he could some how shut out that mocking word as it sounded in his mind.

'_Youkai'_

"S-stop it!" He growled out suddenly. He shook his head violently, his large hands coming up to clutch at his ears.

The two girls looked on in shock as he suddenly dropped to his knees, his large bestial hands clutching at his head. He let out an agonized scream, the sheer power of it knocking the two off their feet, causing the ground beneath him to almost ripple from the intensity.

'I-I'm not a youkai! I'm NOT!'

He honestly didn't know anymore. Images of blood and death flooded through his mind, the faces of the terrified villagers as he tore into them. It had been so easy, effortless even. He remembered the fear, the terror he saw in their expressions as he descended upon them. He remembered how much he had enjoyed it, even though he had known that he shouldn't.

He had felt powerless for nearly his entire life, even though he was good at not showing it. Hinata had described him as a proud failure, one who always got up and tried again even if he failed time and time again. But that wasn't really true, not really. Deep down he had always felt insecure about his potential, especially when compared to others like Neji or… or Sasuke.

Oh, he did a good job covering it up, so good in fact that he even found himself believing his own hype. Becoming Hokage had begun to seem like a possible dream, one that he may eventually attain if he simply worked hard enough, fought hard enough. And it had been getting more and more possible as time went by. The cold stares had become less frequent; he had finally found friends, and even someone whom he could refer to as family. Everything seemed to be going so well, and he truly found himself believing in a dream that had, originally, been nothing more than a mask to cover up his own uncertainty and loneliness.

And it was suddenly all ripped out from under him. In no more than a single night all his hard work, all his battles and victories, all his attempts to prove himself in the eyes of everyone were suddenly stripped away, rendered worthless. When he felt that surge of power, that sensation of being so much greater than all those who stood there before him, it felt as if his very humanity had simply burned away. It was accompanied by a feeling of utter freedom, the complete removal of all human limitations. The feeling was amazingly addictive, and despite his better judgment, he had found himself letting go to it. It had all been in self-defense, or at least that had been the base reasoning at the time. That and one of his comrades, his friends, had been in danger. He had been perfectly justified.

But when he found himself facing people he knew, his friends and comrades, he hadn't been able to stop. They had seemed no more significant than the rabble that he had killed just a few moments prior. He knew them, he recognized them, but at the same time it was as if they were complete strangers. There had been no attachment, no feeling of closeness. He had managed, just barely, to restrain his desire for blood when he had Sakura pinned down. And even then it had been a struggle to turn aside his killing stroke at the last instant.

And that was what scared him more than anything, that if that situation were to happen again, he might not be able to rein himself in again. That he might kill those he cared about… and even worse was the chilling knowledge that he might actually enjoy it.

'_Youkai'_

He wasn't. Was he…?

* * *

A flutter of leaves in the night was the only indication of the two passing ninjas as they made their way north, flitting through the trees like shadows. Their features were completely masked by the large collars of the cowls and the large straw hats they wore. The larger figure turned towards his companion, the large bound sword on his back jostling as he moved. 

"So… what is your plan Itachi?" Kisame asked silently, his voice carried by a thin string of chakra to his companion. It was a simple jutsu, but one that was certainly useful for situations such as this which required silence.

"You heard our orders, we are to keep an eye on the Kyuubi vessel and wait for further instruction to proceed." Itachi answered.

"Yeah yeah, I heard him loud and clear. I know what the plan is. But I do believe that I asked what **your **plan is." Kisame shot back irritably.

Itachi merely looked at him. The hidden mist ninja could be surprisingly astute when he wished to be, despite his outward appearance. It was a quality that many opponents failed to realize when facing him in the past, and it always ended in the same result. Even he, who was in all modesty, an expert in seeing every aspect of a person, found himself mildly surprised at the shark man's intellect. He recovered quickly however.

"Not answering Itachi?" Kisame growled softly.

"Just wait and see." Itachi responded.

* * *

The two girls watched as the large youkai suddenly slumped down to the ground, clutching at its head pitifully as it emitted something between a whine and a growl from deep within it's throat. It mumbled something, a denial of some sort. Its fiery red tails curled about it as if to provide a comforting embrace, or perhaps a shield against the outside world. 

"I'm not a youkai…"

Swallowing the hard lump of fear that had gathered in her throat, Asuna walked hesitantly forward, gently disengaging Kisa's hand as it sought to hold her back.

"Neechan?"

Curiosity and pity combined to beat down her fear as she approached. What ever this creature was, it was hardly a mindless monster. She reached out.

A soft touch on his arm instantly drew Naruto back to reality. Whipping his head up, he growled at the interloper. The older girl stepped back slightly, but then came forward again, her expression tense but determined. Two of his tails waved about warningly.

"It's ok…" He heard her say, though her voice, like most other noises, sounded garbled and indistinct. Her voice was trembling, barely kept in control. Despite her brave front, she was utterly terrified. He could smell it, and it was driving him crazy. The burning urge was still pounding within him, teasing him with memories of just how satisfying it had been the last time he had slaked it. It just made him want to…

No!

He couldn't let this control him!

He was Uzumaki Naruto damnit! Not some damn demon!

He never gave up! He wouldn't lose! Even against himself!

His new resolve helping to partially dispel the haze around his mind, his vision cleared, the surging of his blood calming to a low boil. Sounds suddenly became clearer, more distinct. However the effort also seemed to exhaust him, his pounding adrenaline and raw youki abating, leaving him feeling weak. His legs began to tremble.

He felt so tired…

And, with that, he pitched forward, landing with a loud thud on the forest floor.

* * *

"…" 

Gaara's head rose slightly, a soft, the soft, almost imperceptible hum sounding from his throat giving any indication of his drawn attention. Hinata, who was walking rather subdued a few paces behind, took note. She opened her mouth a few times, each followed by a slight squeak, before she managed a questioning "Ano…?"

Gaara turned to look over his right shoulder, regarding her quietly.

"Wh—what is… what I mean is, did you… ummm." She stumbled over her words, her hands clenching tightly at her sides in a desperate attempt to keep from fidgeting. It was amazingly hard to talk when he looked at her like that. His right eyebrow rose alarmingly, a single, simple gesture with an unmistakable meaning. He was irritated. She swallowed hard.

"D-did you sense something?" She yelled out loudly, rushing out her sentence in a single breath. The rest of the group all turned to stare at her with varying degrees of amazement, causing her whole face to light up from her neck to the very tips of her ears.

"Yes… I believe that I felt a strong surge of chakra from this direction." Gaara stated, pointing in a direction slightly westward from the direction that they were walking "But then… it disappeared…" He finished.

"Disappeared! What do you mean disappeared?" Sakura shouted. Her head turned in the direction Gaara pointed, her face set with determination.

"I'm not entirely sure… it could mean a couple of things. Though, given the state Naruto was in, I doubt it was the worst case scenario."

Jiraiya merely observed the direction, his face set and serious.

Also looking off to the west, Neji re-situated his pack on his shoulder and set off "Well then, it looks as though we have our direction." The others nodded in agreement as they followed close behind, their pace quickening.

* * *

"What the hell!" Kisame shouted, his shock causing him to completely ignore the need for silence. 

Itachi looked mildly disturbed, coming to an abrupt halt on one of the braches. His red eyes, the only visible portion of his face, narrowed in thought.

"How is that possible…?" He mused, more to himself than anything. This shouldn't have been possible, nothing could possibly cloud the tracking jutsu that had been placed upon the boy when they had met. He had placed it upon him himself, and had been using it too keep tabs on him, and he kenw that it had not been discovered. Even the Sennin had not noticed it. Even when not using the tracking seal, the jinchuuriki's chakra was unmistakable and easy to track; it was simply too hard to conceal. There had been times when it had become difficult to sense, but it had always been there.

But now it was completely gone. Not a single trace of it. Only death, or a Kage level cloaking jutsu, could possibly hide a chakra that immense completely. Neither seemed likely. He was certain that the boy was not being aided in anyway, certainly not by anyone capable of using a jutsu of that level. Death was also unlikely, as there was almost nothing that could take on the Kyuubi, weakened or not, with any chance of survival, much less actually killing him. So what had happened? Had the boy discovered some new ability in his new state? Again, unlikely, though he did not doubt that the demon fox probably had some ability like that. For the kid to discover it in such a short period of time was nearly impossible.

"Hey, Itachi, what's up!" Kisame shouted again. He landed next to him, looking off in the direction his partner was currently gazing.

"…It appears that we might have a slight problem." Itachi answered. Now that they were hunting blind, they would have to proceed more cautiously. It would be best if they continued in the direction he had last sensed it, but things seemed to have become much more complicated. He leapt back into the trees once again, with Kisame in quick pursuit.

"Ah, shit." Kisame groaned.

* * *

"So what are we going to do?" Kisa asked, casting a suspicious look at the fallen youkai. Asuna answered by walking over and grabbing his shoulders. 

"Help me move him."

Kisa's eyes widened impossibly "WHAT? Why? He's dangerous, and besides he is far too big and heavy for us to move…" Her voice trailed off as she stared at the body.

Asuna leapt back as if she had been burned when Naruto's form began to pulsate with a faint red light. Then, like a crimson mist, the demonic chakra spread over his form, concealing it for several moments. Then, it suddenly blew away as if caught on a breeze, leaving the form of a boy in tattered clothes, his blond hair disheveled and blowing lightly in the slight breeze.

Asuna stared for a few more moments before she gave Kisa an incredulous look "Well… I guess this might make things easier."

Kisa simply nodded before she moved over to grab his legs. As one they managed to pick his body up and slowly make their way through the forest.

It was slow going, Naruto not being particularly light for his age. Not to mention that all his weight was dead weight, thus making carrying him particularly tedious.

"What are we going to do now?"

Asuna looked back at her "I don't know, but I do know that we at least need to get home. There are still many hours until sunrise and we don't want to be out here for any longer than necessary."

Making their way through the forest, they were unaware of the many sets of eyes which followed them every step of the way.

* * *

"_Is it him?"_

"_Yes… and no."_

"_Then it appears that everything has gone to plan."_

"_He has changed, that much is certain, but just how much I wonder."_

"_Not to mention that ugly form he is in."_

"_True enough, but just be patient. His awakening has only just begun."_

"_Those others are after him as well, two groups. Humans. What should be done about them?"_

"_They will not find him; we will make sure of it."_

"_Let me watch him. I will guard him until it is time."_

"_Are you certain? We all know that…"_

"_Please, allow me to do this."_

"_Very well, we leave him to you. Do not hesitate to do what is necessary should he be discovered."_

"_I understand."_

_

* * *

_

_AN: I am really, really sorry that this took so long to produce. I got about half way through it in the first week or so and then… all my inspiration and ideas just seemed to fly out the window. I could not, for the life of me, figure out just where I wanted this chapter to go. In desperation I sought to give myself a break and write some other works, and ended up getting caught up in those so much that I completely neglected this story. Again, my apologies. But hopefully the wait is worth it. I have a plan now, and hopefully things will begin to heat up for Naruto and the others. The plot itself is now back on track so hopefully my string of good inspiration continues. I can only hope._

_As for next time, a little look back at Konoha and the aftermath. What are the other characters reactions to this whole situation when they find out? Additionally, we will see just what has become of our beloved ramen vacuum. And what is Itachi's goal. All will be revealed in the next chapter: Broken Dreams, Nightmares Rising._


	14. Dreams Falling Like the Rain

Disclaimer: …… BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRP, that burp belongs to ME! Which is good, because not much else in this fic does. On with the show.

* * *

**Through Crimson Eyes**

Chapter 14: Dreams Falling Like the Rain

* * *

Pure, undiluted drivel. Complete and utter bullshit. 

That was the basic gist of Tsunade's thoughts as she strolled down the hallway of her manor, recalling the wake that had taken place about a day ago. She **_really_** wanted to crush something right about now, and while she was generally not all that violent a person, at least not without some sort of provocation, she found herself hoping that one of her aides would come in, daring to laden her down with yet another mountain of paper work. It would at least give her a reason to pulp somebody.

Speaking of which…

"Where's my paperwork!" She shouted out. There was a crash, followed by a few audible shrieks and the sound of rapid footsteps beating a hasty retreat in the opposite direction. Tsunade sighed in disappointment.

Unfortunately they seemed to have become wise to her moods and have been avoiding her quite a bit as of late…

She sighed again, rubbing her temples in attempt to ward off the migraine she knew was coming. Just sitting through that damn wake made her want to puke. Despite how callous it might have seemed, the people killed in that mob got what was coming to them. The only regret that she had about it was that Naruto, wherever he was, was probably drowning in guilt right about now, if he had even come to his senses that is.

She really hoped that he had. Though she had not seen him herself, the description that Jiraiya had given her before he had left had sent a chill through her blood.

This brought her back to the reasons behind her current destination. The third, for all his failings, had been the biggest contributor to the Hokage personal library of any of the Hokage, including the Fourth. There was something that she had to discover, and if there was any information to be found, it would be here.

A slight sound outside caught her attention briefly.

"What a time for rain." She sighed as she watched water gather against the windows. As if her mood wasn't bad enough. After another moment watching the rain fall, she turned back, opening the large set of double doors which led into the Hokage library. She cracked her knuckles.

"Oh well. I guess it's time I got started."

* * *

The rain had begun just shortly before reaching their destination, cascading down in a mild torrent. Still, it seemed only appropriate considering the scene which appeared before them. 

"N-nechan?" Kisa sniffled, her eyes already beginning to leak tears down her face as she looked upon the sacked and burnt out remains of what had once been a small village. Half charred wood lay strewn about. Windows were shattered. Bodies lay bloody, rain-soaked and forgotten in the streets. Kisa turned her head away, her small body trembling harshly.

Asuna fared only little better. Her wide eyes gazed down upon the village, tears making their way down unheeded. Her lower lip quivered slightly. She opened her mouth a few times before she finally found enough voice to speak.

"Come on… Kisa. Let's… let's get inside."

Sniffling a bit and biting back her own tears, she and Kisa continued to haul Naruto's comatose body down the wooded hills towards the skeletal remains of home.

The sight that greeted them was even more horrifying from close up. Now that they were close, they could recognize the corpses, putting a face to each one, faces that had, merely a few days ago, been full of life. Faces that they each knew intimately.

They finally made their way to a burnt building at the far end of town, a structure that had once been so familiar, yet now seemed so alien to them. They stopped at the front door, both hesitant to take that first step in, each considering the notion that if they did not see what they expected to see inside that it might make the whole situation simply disappear.

Still, the rain continued to fall, and their trembling became more intense as the cold rain mixed with their broken hearts. Finally, biting her lip, Asuna stepped through the door, followed by Kisa, Naruto still dangling between them.

They made their way slowly through the small home, from room to room, all the while both expecting and dreading what they would find. Coming upon the last room, the bedroom, Asuna recoiled in horror, her own sobs drown out by her sisters agonized shriek.

It certainly was not unexpected, neither one of them believed that reality would be anything otherwise. Still, seeing your own parents hacked and bloody corpses would unnerve even the coldest individuals.

"MAMA!" Kisa shrieked, immediately dropping Naruto's legs to run over to the two bodies. Left with the boys full weight, Asuna dropped to her knees, Naruto's head landing in her lap. If she noticed, she gave no sign of it, her gaze fixed on the gruesome scene.

"MAMA! PAPA!" Kisa continued to cry, clutching desperately at her parents bodies. Finally recovering a bit from her shock, Asuna managed to drag Narutos body into another room. After laying him down, she walked back out, her eyes shadowed by her bangs.

"…Kisa…" She whispered, gently laying a hand on her sisters shoulder.

Kisa simply kept crying.

"Kisa. Come on, we…" She stopped in mid sentence to bite back her own sobs "…We should g-give them a burial. So… so come on, help me… help me bury them."

Kisa nodded, rubbing at her eyes "O-ok…"

* * *

"Geeze, it's raining at a time like this?" Sakura griped, attempting to shield her face from the light downpour. Looking over to her right, she made a face at Gaara who was walking calm and collected as ever. 

And dry.

Apparently Gaara was the only one who had thought ahead enough to bring an umbrella. The other members of the group apparently shared her sentiments, each of them looking through wet bangs towards Gaara with undisguised envy.

There's a city close by here." Jiraiya stated, attempting to ring out his massive mane of white hair "We'll take shelter there until the rain stops."

"But we can't just stop our search now! We…" Sakura began.

"This rainstorm will only get worse. See." Jiraiya stated, pointing towards the horizon. Massive clouds were gathered as far as the eye could see, and as if in confirmation, the rain seemed to pick up the pace, coming down harder and harder.

"But…"

"And besides, ever since Naruto's chakra disappeared we have basically been wandering about with absolutely no leads or plan as to how to pick up his trail." Jiraiya finished. Sakura looked as though she might argue some more, but eventually nodded and gave up the debate, looking defeated.

"That would be the best course of action anyway. It's getting colder, and none of us will be in any state to travel if we end up catching a cold." Neji agreed. Next to him, Hinata shivered in the cold, drawing her jacket closer to herself.

Gaara simply nodded.

"Yosh! Then let's go!" Lee shouted from the rear of the line, apparently still full of energy despite the dismal atmosphere. He started running.

"For crying out loud Lee" Sakura shouted back at him, fixing him with an irritated look "figures that you can be so damn cheerful even in this nasty atmospheeEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Sakura shrieked out the last part of the sentence as Lee immediately scooped her up and onto his back in mid run, taking off down the muddy road, Sakura's voice shouting various curses all the while. The others stood there dumbly for a few moments.

"Ummm, ok then." Jiraiya said before he began running after them. Neji and Hinata were not far behind, Neji helping her along by her hand.

Which left Gaara alone and dry in the rain. He let out a slight snort before he continued walking, obviously intending to take his time.

A small sound, barely noticeable in the pitter patter of falling rain stopped him in his tracks. He looked up towards the sound in time to see a small bird fly off into the sky.

Gaara continued staring after the bird for a few more moments as it vanished from sight before he continued to walk through the driving rain.

His pace was much quicker than before however.

* * *

"This weather is such a pain in the ass!" 

"Just try to deal with it without complaining Deidara."

Two cloaked figures stood perched in a high tree overlooking the massive forest, their large hats dripping with rain water. Their black cowls hung limp and damp against them, the red cloud design taking on a duller color from water saturation.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. And why the hell are you with me anyway. This is my target you know, yeah."

Sasori sighed "You do remember that we operate in pairs don't you? Whether this is your target or not is irrelevant, I am still required to accompany you and provide backup where necessary. Besides, he is not traveling alone."

"Geeze boss, you really don't think much of me do you? I can handle some snot nosed gennins no problem, yeah." Deidara shot back.

"It is not the gennin which is our concern. One of the legendary three is accompanying them as well, and if our information is correct then he is by no means an opponent to take lightly. The Jinchuuriki is also quite dangerous as well. The fact that there are several gennins with them would simply add to the trouble. We should wait until a suitable opening presents itself to us."

As Sasori ended his lecture, a small bird landed on Deidara's shoulder. It began to emit small, nearly imperceptible tweets into his ear. After a moment, the blond haired Akatsuki grinned.

"Looks like we might have our opening sooner than we thought, yeah." He crowed. Taking the bird from his shoulder, he gripped it in his hand, crushing it back down into a ball of clay. Then, standing up, the two then leapt from their perch and into the rain soaked forest.

* * *

"Gaara-san?" 

They had arrived in a small city just fifteen minutes after they had broken into a full out run in the rain. It wasn't until Hinata's small voice spoke up that they noticed that one member of their little band had yet to make an appearance.

"What was that, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked, turning to look back at her. Hinata's gaze was focused back out towards the road they had just come from.

"What is taking him so long?" Jiraiya grumbled irritably.

"Do you think he's ok?" Sakura asked.

Jiraiya looked thoughtful, his face set in an unusually serious and thoughtful pose.

'_Damn! If it had been anyone of the rest of us, I wouldn't be so worried. Every one of us is capable of dealing with the typical brigand or thug that might be encountered on the road. Gaara, however, is at considerably more risk by himself with the Akatsuki running around hunting for demon containers.' _Breaking from his thoughts, Jiraiya turned back to the assembled group.

"Neji, Lee, you two come with me." The hermit stated, pointing to the two boys in turn. They both nodded.

"What about us?" Sakura asked.

"You two try and arrange a room for tonight. We'll be back as soon as possible." With that, he and the two young men took off running back down the road. This left Hinata and Sakura standing by themselves in the rain.

"Well… I suppose we should get a room for tonight…" Hinata began.

"What, are you kidding!" Sakura exclaimed, already starting off down the road as well.

"S-sakura-san, wait. Jiraiya-san said that we should…"

"Screw what he said! That old bastard seemed real worried about Gaara, despite the fact that Gaara is probably the most capable member of our group at looking after himself. There's a lot more to this than Jiraiya is letting on, and I going to find out what it is." Sakura finished, her tone indicating a definite end to the conversation.

'_Especially since it also involves Naruto' _She added silently.

"But… o-ok." Hinata acquiesced. She then ran after the pink haired girl back into the rain.

* * *

The sound of dozens of wings was the only warning Gaara had before everything seemed to explode around him. Dozens of small objects, what appeared to be small birds, hit the ground around him, each detonating into a small explosion which sent a mass of wet mud spraying about him. 

"…"

The explosions caught Gaara completely by surprise, throwing him violently to the muddy ground. His umbrella lay tattered a few feet away.

Leaping quickly to his feet, Gaara scanned the area around him, looking for the source of the unexpected assault. Another faint sound signaled another attack as a small bird dove straight toward him. Confidant now, Gaara stood his ground, knowing that his shield of sand would protect him.

So it was quite a surprise when the bird detonated just a foot in front of him, the small explosion catching him directly and throwing him down to the ground again.

"…!"

What the hell was going on? His shield of sand had almost never failed to deflect an attack before. Looking behind him, he found his answer.

His sand had indeed leapt to his defense, but due to the rain, the sand was quickly soaked to the point where it was no longer fluid. It moved sluggishly behind him, chunks of wet sand falling to the ground.

"Having problems?"

Gaara looked up towards the sound of the voice to see what appeared to be a giant clay bird floating in the sky. Perched atop it was a small figure in a black cloak, bright red clouds embroidered upon it. The figure smiled wickedly at him, casually holding several small birds in one hand.

"Awww, too bad. Guess your sand doesn't work in the rain, yeah. Oh well, that makes my job easier." He said cheerfully. Several more birds seemed to simply form in his other hand. Each of them then took flight, flying in a circular pattern around the fallen Gaara. Then, with a small gesture, the flock of explosive birds dove down towards their target again.

* * *

"So just what is going on?" Asked Neji as he, Lee and Jiraiya ran through the rain, back towards where they had last seen the sand nin. Jiraiya was silent for a moment, apparently debating just how much information he should reveal. Finally he responded "Gaara, like Naruto, is a demon container as you already know. There is a group, an organization by the name Akatsuki which are, for whatever reason, gathering the demons which have been contained in various vessels." 

"WHAT! NARUTO-KUN HAS A DEMON!" Lee shouted. This was all news to him. Jiraiya simply nodded.

"What kind of organization is the Akatsuki? And why are they looking for the demon vessels?" Neji asked.

"They are a militant group made up of various S-class missing nin. There are roughly nine total, ten if you include Orochimaru who we know recently quit the organization. As for why they want the demon vessels… We don't know."

Neji looked thoughtful. _'So… they're being hunted. Both Naruto and Gaara, as well as…'_ Neji was struck by a sudden question as he stopped in mid thought "Jiraiya-san, just how many demon vessels are there?"

Apparently not expecting this question, Jiraiya gave Neji a double take. Then, sighing he answered "Nine total. Each has a different number of tails. Gaara is the container for Shuukaku, the one-tail, and Naruto is the container for Kyuubi, the Nine-tails."

"WHAT! THE NINE-TAILS! NARUTO'S GOT THE NINE-TAILS!" Lee shouted again. Jiraiya gave him a glare.

"Well, in any case, now we know why Gaara should not be left alone for any extended period of time. If these Akatsuki…" Neji trailed off as his sharp eyes focused on something farther down the road. Noting his sudden silence, both Jiraiya and Lee turned to look back towards the main road.

There in the middle of the muddy road stood a hunched figure. Its posture was that of an old man, though it was the clothing that drew their attention. It was garbed in a black cloak with red clouds. Jiraiya sucked in his breath.

"So can I assume that this is one of the aforementioned Akatsuki?" Neji asked.

"… Yeah…" Jiraiya said, gritting his teeth.

The figure looked up, two malicious eyes peering almost lazily out over a simple face mask. The voice that then emanated from its form was deep, almost hollow sounding.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go any further down this road, not until our business is concluded that is." Sasori stated in a lazy draw. A large barbed tail rose slowly out from behind the cloaked figure, swaying back and forth over its head like a massive scorpion tail.

"Well I'm afraid that I can't let you block us." Jiraiya shot back.

Sasori regarded him calmly "Very well… I suppose that I'll have to waste my time killing you then… though I have a feeling that you'll all be excellent additions to my collection..."

* * *

It took the two of them nearly an hour to bury their parent's bodies in the driving rain, both of them working diligently despite the downpour. After their work was done, they offered a tearful prayer before they finally went back inside to escape the torrent. 

Covered head to toe in wet mud and stained with blood the two girls entered the small home. Kisa, no longer able to hold back anymore dashed into what had once been her room, her cries resounding through the walls.

Asuna, walking haltingly, unsteadily down the small hallway, made her way to the main bedroom. Her glazed eyes once again took in the sight, crimson staining the floor where her parents had been lying. So many memories came flooding to her as she looked almost unseeing into the room that had once been so familiar. Their parents smiling faces as the two sisters ran through the house, the meals they spent together. Hugs that they would never have again…

"It's… it's not fair." She whispered, walking over to kneel at that spot. A drop of water fell to mix with the drying blood. Another followed it, then another. And another.

"It's not fair! I-it's not… it's not fair!" She cried out, not even bothering to hold it in anymore. She pounded a small fist against the floor, her teeth biting into her lower lip so hard that her own blood began to dribble off to mix with her parents on the floor. She collapsed bodily against floor, her head pressed against the blood stained mat.

"It's not… it's not…" She murmured brokenly once more.

She lay there for a while, her body twisting with sobs until eventually she slipped into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

_AN: No I am not dead. No I do not intend to stop writing on this story. And yes I am planning on completing it, though it is turning out to be a much larger, though much more enjoyable undertaking than I had originally anticipated. Though I am a little embarrassed to say that for this chapter I suffered from the very rare 'Writers overload', a condition in which the writer is tied up with 'too many ideas' rather than a 'lack of ideas'. Simply put, I wrote about six different versions of this chapter, and frankly it took me awhile to settle on which one I should submit. I guess too much inspiration can be a bad thing as well. Go figure._

_It's getting a little dark huh? I should probably start thinking about putting this in the angst section. Just to let people know, I am not exactly a sucker for the overly sweet, candy land type stories. I don't dislike happy endings per-say, but I do enjoy scenarios in which characters are forced to adapt to the shit that happens in life, rather than everything magically turning out the way they wished it would. It just seems too unrealistic to me. And as they say; life is seldom, if ever, fair. And another note, while this is by no means a spoiler, I will openly admit that I will not pull any spontaneous Dues ex Machina's in my fic. And what this means of course is that the threat of death is that much more real, and that much more important to character actions and decisions. It's the constant threat which inevitably hangs over the lives of ninjas and any others who follow the warriors path, and it just isn't good when that threat is greatly trivialized. I also HATE resurrection plot devices that seem pulled out of the author's ass because they don't want a particular character to kick the bucket permanently, despite the fact that they put that character in a certain death situation in the first place. And yes this is a rant about Gaara living (Don't get me wrong, I love Gaara's character, as people reading my story can tell. But I am objective enough to know that his death would have served the plot far better than him living and getting groupies. Ok rant over)_

_Oh, and another thing I would like to mention while I'm at it is that I will be taking the next week or so to re-write some of the earlier chapters of this story. I went back over my early chapters and began cracking up at just how bad they were (At least compared to my later chapters.) so I intend to go through and give each of them a bit of a face lift. Don't worry though, I don't intend to change anything drastic, the same material will be there, just re-done in a more complete fashion. I will post a note in the synopsis stating which chapters have been redone, so for those who have followed my story thus far (and thank you all very much by the way) be sure to go back over the early chapters again, and hopefully it will add more to the story I have weaved thus far. I will then resume with chapter 15 the following week (Hopefully)._

_Thank you for your patience and support._

_Chi13iM_


	15. Tempest

Disclaimer: … sigh… You all know the drill, I don't really think I have to repeat myself…

* * *

Through Crimson Eyes

* * *

Chapter 15: Tempest

'_Youkai.'_

"_No, stop! I'm not a youkai, I'm not a demon."_

'_Youkai'_

"_No!"_

'_He's the one. He's the one who nearly destroyed our village. He's the one who killed all those people…'_

"_NO! I didn't! I didn't kill anyone! I've never killed anybody! Never!"_

'_That vile creature. Why does the Hokage even tolerate him!'_

'_He'll kill us all. When he grows up, he'll try to finish what he started!'_

"_NO! I would never! Konoha is my home too! IT'S MY HOME TOO!"_

His eyes opened.

He found himself standing in a familiar place, bombarded by rain that he could not feel. He knew this place all too well, though he desperately wished otherwise.

His old orphanage.

"No, I don't want to be back here again!" He shouted, grasping his head, as though he could somehow block out the memories that were suddenly beginning to flood back to him. He stopped in mid-shout when he heard his own voice, higher pitched than he remembered. Looking down at his hands, he noticed that they were considerably smaller. The hands of a child.

The last thing he remembered was confronting those two girls in the middle of that forest after slaughtering all those bandits. If that were the case, then what the hell was he doing back here?

"Wh-what the hell is going on..." He was cut off by a sharp pain in the back of his head. Rubbing his throbbing skull, he whirled around to face his attackers. Nearly fifteen children, all his age, stood there before him, gathered together into a large group. They were pointing, laughing and jeering. But what really sent ice through his blood was not them, but rather the wielder of the stick who had just struck him. An older woman stood above him, looking down on him with a mixture of loathing and disgust, tapping the stick threateningly in her hands.

Just as he was about to say something, shout out against them, he felt another crack from the stick, this time full in the face. It was followed by another, and then another. Then, more seemed to join in, and Naruto knew, without having to look, that the children were beginning to join in the fun as well.

The torment lasted only a few moments, though it had felt like an eternity. He could feel all his pent up anger and hate, buried inside of him for so long, begin to boil inside of him, coiling within his heart and ready to be set loose. He heard them leave, their laughter feeling colder than the rain that was beating down upon him. His back was unpleasantly warm. The burning ache began to subside as well, leaving a horrible chill in it's wake.

He remembered this. It had been when he was five. He had gotten into a simple quarrel with another kid in the orphanage when that kid had attempted to steal his ball. And yet, it had somehow escalated into this. Not only that, but this had been the start of his own personal nightmare. The other kids, seeing that he would be blamed for any situation he was involved in, all began to take advantage. He learned quickly not to get involved with any of the children, as that would only get him in trouble.

He suddenly felt another presence in the rain. Looking up slightly from his prone position, he saw a small hand reaching down towards him, offering help.

When had this happened? He didn't remember this part.

"Are you going to lie there all day?" The voice asked, oddly comforting. It was distinctly feminine, though the actual age was hard to place. Looking up a little further, he was able to make out a slight silhouette of a small girl, no older than himself, her facial features hidden by the rain and gloom.

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice still carrying the high pitched squeak of a child, though hoarse with pain. The question was followed by laughter, not cold or condescending, but comforting and soothing.

"That's not really important right now. I'm just here to help. So come on, let's get out of the rain."

Not knowing what else to do, he reached out to her, and as their fingers touched, the world itself seemed explode about him in a burst of blue flame…

* * *

"Waste time killing us huh?" Jiraiya quipped with a sneer, standing in a loose fighting stance while facing the strange akatsuki ninja. Neji and Lee both moved on either side of him, each experienced enough in common tactics to know to flank the opponent. Sasori didn't seem the least bit intimidated. He continued to stand there, his tail moving lazily back and forth, his eyes idly tracking each of his opponents one by one. Rain continued to fall from above.

"It would seem that I am at a bit of a disadvantage here, hmmm…" He said, almost as if he were talking to himself. His three opponents readied themselves.

"Well then, I suppose that it would only be right to even the odds…"

With that, there was an explosion of fire and smoke. Caught off guard, the three shinobi shielded their eyes as the smoke expanded to encompass them briefly before dissipating. They then looked back towards their opponent.

Where there had been a single opponent, there were now 3, two of which seemed to float in the air. They looked almost completely human, save for their strangely constructed mouths and completely dead eyes. They each wore what looked to be a shinobi headband with the emblem of the hidden sand village, a familiar slash running across each of them.

"This should even things out quite nicely."

Jiraiya took a step back to get some distance, a grimace of disgust on his face "A puppet master, huh?"

Sasori regarded him with what seemed to be a bit of amusement in his eyes "Exactly. So glad you appreciate it. In this way I would have to say that I subscribe to a considerably different artistic philosophy than my collegue and counterpart Deidara. This is my form of art, and like all of my work, I do believe you will find that effects of their attacks tend to linger for a good long time."

With that, the two puppets each opened their mouths, spewing forth a storm of small needles at the two gennin. Reacting quickly, both Lee and Neji dodged nimbly to the side.

Mulling over Sasori's statement quickly, Jiraiya quickly came to the logical conclusion "Poison."

"Very good." Sasori drawled, "I have to say it's so wasteful for things to be over so quickly. The poison in my puppets is of my own design, and I am certainly very proud of the results. It will greatly slow you down, not to mention the agonizing death that will undoubtedly result after an hour from contact. And I am eagerly looking forward to adding you to my collection." He finished, giving a pointed look at Jiraiya.

"Oi, Lee, Neji." Jiraiya stated, giving a quick look at each of them. They nodded back at him, prepaired to take any order when given.

"I don't think I need to tell you to not get hit. If any of us gets hit even once were pretty much screwed."

"Yosh, I got it!" Lee shouted. Neji nodded his assent as well. Smirking, Jiraiya turned his attention back to Sasori "Both of you take care of those puppets. The puppeteer is mine! Now GO!"

They each then lunged towards their respective opponents.

* * *

They had been running through the rain for only a few minutes when they spotted the battle between their fellow group members and the strange cowled creature facing them. Given how intent they were on each other, it was unlikely that they would be noticed.

Giving a silent signal to the girl behind her, Sakura continued to make her way through the rain soaked trees, applying extra chakra to her feet to help keep her steady on the slick branches.

A series of explosions was a clear indication that they were heading in the right direction.

Looking back over her shoulder, Sakura called out "Hey, Hinata, I think they're just ahead."

Hinata nodded, an unusually focused expression on her face.

Drawing a kunai, Sakura upped her pace a little more.

* * *

Another explosion ripped through the rain soaked forest, followed by another and another.

Gaara, now looking considerably worse for wear, tiredly dodged yet another explosive bird, looking up balefully at the giggling akatasuki flying up well out of reach. His sand was still useless however, and even his shield of sand, though sluggishly attempting to shield him, was of little use. He clenched a bloody hand.

Above, Deidara looked down at the Sand ninja, an irritated expression on his face.

"Come on, come on, how inconsiderate can you be, yeah. Can't you just throw in the towel and keel over already. My hat is already beginning to leak, my cloak is completely drenched, and it's getting really, REALLY fucking cold out here. So just drop already so that I can go home and dry off." He gripped, making a show of ringing out his cloak for good measure.

Gaara simply growled at him.

"Oh my, aren't you looking determined." Deidara said, smiling wickedly at him "But you should know that my goal is to capture you alive. If I wanted you dead, you would be dead. Just like that…" He snaps his fingers to emphasize his point.

He then let out a long drawn out sigh.

"Unfortunately, capturing you alive with explosives is a very delicate procedure, and with you doing all that irritating dodging, I might end up killing you by mistake. So be a good boy and STAND THE FUCK STILL!" He finished with a shout, launching a large flock of explosive birds at him.

Gaara attempted to dodge again. His body however, worn out by the rain, repeated movement and the shock from the many close explosions simply was not able to dodge fast enough. Hit with nearly half a dozen explosions at close range, the world began to blur, then his vision tunneled into darkness.

Riding down leisurely, Deidara hoped off of his bird to inspect the body.

"Shit, I hope that wasn't too much. It's so damned hard to take people alive like this." He mumbled as he bent to check on his victim.

There was still a pulse.

"Good, that's a load off my mind then." He chirped cheerfully.

As he bent down to pick him up, he barely caught a brief flash of movement from his right. Leaping back nimbly, he was able to dodge the small kunai as it sailed past his nose. Turning towards the direction of the attack, Deidara switched on the small device that was situated over his eye.

"Hmmm, there are two small chakra signatures coming from the woods, yeah. Seems like Sasori slipped up a little bit."

Shrugging to himself, he secretly began preparing several more clumps of explosive clay in each of his hands as he watched Sakura and Hinata leap from the trees into the clearing.

Taking up position in front of him, the two girls stared down their opponent. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, only to be quickly washed away by the rain water running down their faces.

"Oohh, looks like I've got a couple of cuties here, yeah." Deidara exclaimed, still keeping his hands hidden beneath his cloak.

Stepping back, Sakura and Hinata both readied another kunai, holding it forward in preparation. The veins around Hinata's eyes were pronounced and throbbing, indicating the activation of her Byakugan.

"Step away from Gaara now!" Sakura said, her normally warm fiery green eyes gazed at him coldly.

Deidara simply stood there "My, oh my, how chilly it seems to have gotten all of a sudden, and just when I thought it couldn't get any colder."

"Back off NOW!" Sakura shouted again, quickly throwing her kunai at the akatsuki's head. Not even flinching, Deidara simply caught the blade between two fingers a few inches away from his face. At the same moment, two clay birds flew from the folds of his cloak, each of them heading to one of the two girls.

Dodging quickly to the side, Sakura and Hinata were still thrown off balance by the resulting explosion. Rolling with the impact, Sakura let loose with another kunai, Hinata quickly doing the same. Deidara dodged them lazily.

"Oops, so close." He taunted.

Giving a small angry grunt, Sakura quickly looked over at Hinata "Hey, Hinata?" She whispered under her breath, just loud enough for the other girl to hear it.

Hinata looked back at her questioningly.

"Think you can keep his attention for just a minute. I have something that might work, but I need to catch him off guard." She then began carefully whispering the rest of her plan to her.

"You ready?" She finished.

Obviously distraught at the sudden responsibility placed upon her, Hinata gulped audibly. Then, gritting her teeth, she nodded her affirmative.

Sakura grinned.

"Good, then let's take this stupid bastard down!"

* * *

The scent of leaves. The scent of a forest after rain.

These sensations bombarded him all at once, forcing him from the void of senselessness that he had been wallowing just a moment before.

Opening his eyes once again, Naruto found himself in a sun dappled glade in the midst of trees he did not recognize. They towered over him, large even than the famous trees that populated the forests of Konoha. There was a sense of peace flowing from this place. It all felt so very right.

Which may be why it all felt so very wrong.

Looking back at his hands, he was surprised to find that they were, once again, the correct size and age.

"Where the hell am I?" He asked aloud. The last thing he remembered was a young girl intruding upon one of his most terrible memories, offering her hand to him. And when he had taken it…

Still mulling over this, Naruto began to walk, not really knowing or caring what direction he was heading. Despite himself, he began to feel the tension in his body dissipate. There really was something soothing about this place, it felt… safe, somehow. Like a place he had been before.

He shook his head. What the hell was he thinking, he'd never been here before.

And yet…

A warm breeze blew by, ruffling his hair and sending a light burst of green leaves blowing past him. With the breeze he also sensed a sudden presence. He could smell a scent that blended perfectly with the forest about him. Like flowers and fresh earth.

"Welcome home."

* * *

Lee barely managed to regain his footing in time to dodge another hail of needles as they sprayed into the ground where he stood just half a second ago. Even with his speed it was all he could do to keep dodging the puppets attacks. He still had yet to find an opening significant enough for him to mount an attack without risking a decidedly deadly counterattack in return.

Chancing a glance at his two partners, He noticed that they were not faring much better than he was. Though Neji had a definite advantage with his Byakugan activated, even he was hard pressed to dodge the seemingly endless barrage of needles, made all though more harrowing by the knowledge that a single slip or mistake would be all it took.

Jiraiya had at least managed to close in with the main enemy, though the Akatsuki assassin was proving to be quite a difficult opponent. He kept the Sanin busy enough that he could not find the time to perform any complex jutsus, which left the older man relying primarily on his Taijutsu, something that he obviously did not excel at.

Another barrage forced him to return to the matter at hand. How was he going to get through?

Still, he had one option available: The Extreme Lotus.

Gai-sensei would be most upset if he ever learned that he had utilized the Extreme Lotus without his express consent. And even though the Extreme Lotus was not a guarantee of death, the possibility was high enough that it was not a risk that should be taken lightly.

Still…

Both Neji and Jiraiya were being hard pressed, and at the rate they were going, it would only be a matter of time before they were worn out enough to the point that they couldn't dodge anymore.

No help for it.

He just wished that Sakura-chan were here to see this.

* * *

"Welcome home."

Startled by the sudden voice, Naruto looked up towards the canopy above. There up on one of the branches sat the figure that had intruded before, though she also appeared to be older. She was dressed in what looked to be a formal yukata, the bottom ending just above the knees, leaving the rest of her bare legs exposed. The bangs of her short cut platinum hair fell loosely over one eye, leaving the other, a dark amber eye, revealed. She looked down at him with a warm, yet at the same time, bemused smile on her face.

Whoa…

"Who are you! And what the hell do you mean by home!" He shouted up at her, trying to keep his blush down. His voice carried no venom, but was thick with his obvious confusion. If this was a dream, it was a damn realistic one.

The girl kicked her legs idly, tapping a finger to the side of her nose. The message of course was quite clear.

"You don't need to know that. Not yet at least…"

Grimacing, Naruto crossed his arms "Umm, yeah I do."

She shook her head, grinning widely at him "Nope"

Huffing, Naruto opened his mouth to shout another demand up at her.

Only to find that she was not where he was shouting.

"Still…" She started, her breath rushing into his right ear. A lithe arm slid around his shoulder, her small hand splaying over his chest.

To give him credit, Naruto's reaction was quite spectacular. With a cry of shock, Naruto was now left occupying the branch that his mysterious assailant had been occupying just a second ago. Down below, the girl giggled.

"A little jumpy aren't you." She stated. There certainly was no question intended. She then gracefully leapt up to join him on the branch, causing Naruto to scoot down further.

"But like I was about to say, you'll come to know everything in due time. So just be patient, enjoy your surroundings a little. Take the time to just relax."

"In due time? What's that supposed to mean? Do you know what's happening to me right now?"

She nodded, smiling cutely.

Naruto looked at her for a second "…You're not going to tell me… are you." He deadpanned. She shook her head.

"Ok… is there anything that you can tell me?"

"Well…" she tapped her chin in thought. Then her face brightened again "Nope, not really. It's not time yet."

"Not time yet? What the hell does that mean?"

She just shook her head, pursing her lips together. Her shoulders were shaking though, obviously in an attempt to hold back her growing mirth.

He honestly never thought that he would be on the receiving end of such teasing.

He let out a deep, aggravated sigh. This whole situation was incredibly bizarre. Still…

He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

She was kind of cute. Actually, adorable would probably be closer to the mark.

He glanced at her again.

Only to find himself looking into a pair of deep amber eyes.

"WAAAAAAHH!"

"Oopps." She giggled down at him.

From his rather artful landing position, Naruto growled.

Adorable or not, she was being a real pain in the ass.

Still looking down at him, she blew him a quick raspberry, then leapt gracefully into the forest.

Glaring at her retreating form, Naruto immediately shot to his feet and gave pursuit. There was no way in hell he was letting her get away without any answers.

* * *

Deidara looked on with mild boredom as his two little playmates apparently formulated a plan of attack. While they had been amusing at first, he really was beginning to get very wet and cold.

_Achoo_

And it felt like he might actually be coming down with something. Just perfect. Not only did that damn demon vessel behind him keep him out in the rain, but now these two little bitches were going to keep him out here even longer.

The two girls then leapt to each side.

Rubbing his nose with the sleave of his cloak, he turned towards the dark haired girl coming at him from his right. This whole setup was a diversionary tactic if ever he saw one. Still, he couldn't afford to be careless. Considering her eyes, she could be none other than a Hyuuga, and that was one clan that actually seemed to excel at straight forward combat, where their unique Gentle Fist style could do the most damage.

Still aware of the pink haired one, who was currently attempting to flank him to his left, Deidara prepared himself for Hinata's attack.

In just a few seconds, Hinata crossed the distance between the two of them, striking out several times at various points of his body. Casually blocking each of the attacks, he also managed to dodge several kunai which were thrown at him from the other opponent.

As the assault pressed on, Deidara continued to observe his opponents abilities while still casually engaging them.

'Is this really the extent of a Hyuuga's abilities? Her strikes are uncertain and sloppy. And the other girl seems too timid to even try and engage me in hand to hand as well.'

"Disappointing, yeah." He stated, dodging yet another strike from Hinata. Drawing one hand back, a small clump of clay was spit out from the small mouth in his palm. Then, swinging forward, he pressed the clump of clay directly into her face, which then promptly detonated with a miniature explosion, sending the former Hyuuga heiresses now limp body to the ground several meters away. He then turned towards the remaining enemy.

"Where the hell did she go?"

"BASTARD!" Sakura screamed. Bolting forward, Sakura charged towards the Akatsuki's unprotected back, delivering a punch aimed directly towards his chest.

Turning with the motion from his previous attack, Deidara deftly dodged the enraged kunoichi's attack, immediately sending another swarm of clay birds towards his targets now unprotected back, each of them flying to positions which would cut off any escape points.

The explosion sent a shockwave of mud and rain in all directions. When it cleared, Sakura's body lay burnt and broken on the ground.

Nodding with satisfaction, Deidara turned and once again began heading over to retrieve Gaara. He chuckled under his breath.

"Game over girls."

* * *

All of the ninja involved in the showdown came to a halt as a tremendous surge of chakra rippled accros the rainy landscape. Jiraiya, Neji, and even Sasori turned to watch in awe as Lee once again began activating his Eight Inner Body Gates.

"I-initial Gate, RELEASE!" Lee shouted, veins already beginning to pop out across his forhead as his skin began to darken into red. A small trickle of blood began macking its way from his nose.

"What the hell is he thinking!" Jiraiya shouted, watching as Lee continued to power up. Neji stood by silently, knowing full well what Lee's intention was.

'_He knows that he might not survive it this time. Lee…'_

"What is this jutsu?" Sasori mused. His eyes were wide with shock.

Still, he didn't become an S-Rank ninja by being so easily distracted. Swinging his massive tail above his head, he then struck downwards towards the distracted Senin.

It was at that point, that Lee made his move.

"FIFTH GATE: OPEN!"

Launching himself forward at speeds beyond even Neji's ability to see, Lee planted his fist directly into one of the puppets torso, causing the whole construct to explode as the tremendous chakra fueled punch shattered the fragile doll's body.

In nearly the same instant, Lee crossed the battlefield to the other doll attacking Neji, shattering this one with a powerful spinning kick almost before the first doll even began to shatter.

Both Jiraiya's and Sasori's eyes widened further as Sasori's tail was stopped in mid-thrust mere inches from Jiraiya's head by the now red skinned boy. Blood was now beginning to leak copiously from his nose, and even a little from the eyes as well as the boys body destroyed itself.

Then, with a loud cry, Lee crushed the tail in his hands, and instantly followed it up with a tremendous punch directly into the shocked Akatsuki's face.

_Smash_

The body broke apart in a cloud of debris as Lee's fist made contact.

"A puppet?" Neji shouted, shocked.

'So… all three of them were puppets…' Jiraiya thought, looking down at the broken body of Sasori. There was no sign of the actual puppet master anywhere, nor could he sense any presence.

"Damn, looks like he got away."

A sound to their left caught their attention as Lee, completely spent, dropped bonelessly to the rain soaked ground.

* * *

Bending down to pick up Gaara, Deidara was caught completely off guard as a kunai embedded itself directly into his left arm. The wounded arm then dropped uselessly to his side.

"DAMN BITCH! You're still… alive…" Deidara trailed off as his gaze rested on the two burnt logs lying in the rain.

"Kawarimi no jutsu!" He shouted. How could he have actually been fooled by such a basic jutsu? There was no way.

A loud popping sound behind him drew his attention back to Gaara.

Or what had been Gaara.

"Surprise!" Sakura yelled, grinning, her fist drawn back. Deidara's eyes widened as her fist approached.

'_Immpossi…'_

_CRACK_

_

* * *

_

She had been studying Tsunade's scroll ever since they had left on their journey. While the vast majority of the techniques described were medical in nature, there was one particular technique that was blatantly offensive in nature.

Still, she wasn't sure if she could ever get used to the title "SMASHY-SMASHY no jutsu"

Having been studying the technique, it had become apparent that it relied on complete and total control of the users chakra. That was something that she could do, it was her one saving grace really.

But she hadn't counted on it requiring so much chakra just to pull off a single punch. Which was precisely why she knew that she would only get one shot at it.

She had to make that shot count.

* * *

A massive shockwave expanded outward from the point of contact as Sakura's fist met Deidara's face. The Akatsuki's body seemed almost frozen in time before it was launched backwards at tremendous speed, smashing through several trees nearly a hundred feet behind him.

Sakura then landed in the mud.

"Damn…" she mumbled, her eyes beginning to droop "didn't… think… it would use… that much… cha…kra…"

She then passed out.

* * *

"S-sakura-san!" Hinata squeaked. She sat in the trees a good few hundred feet away, an unconscious Gaara hefted over her shoulders.

The plan certainly seemed to have worked. Each of them had had the presence of mind to invoke a Kawarimi just before the Akatsuki had connected with what certainly would have been fatal attacks.

Using his distraction, Hinata took Gaara's body and made her way to the woods while Sakura stayed behind as Gaara's replacement. Then, as he had been about to pick Sakura up, she had launched one last kunai, using her Byakuugan to pinpoint a major nerve in the arm.

But she hadn't counted on Sakura going unconscious as well, and she was uncertain as to whether or not the enemy Shinobi was conscious or not.

* * *

He swam to consciousness slowly, though he quickly wished that he hadn't. He was being bounced and jostled, the movement causing his head to explode in pain.

"PPHHFFUCKIN OWWW!" Deidara shouted, his voice partially muffled by the massive swelling of his right cheek.

"Just shut up."

Deidara's one good eye widened as he recognized the voice. Looking down he found himself being carried by a small boy dressed in the typical Akatsuki robe.

"Tthhathhori?"

"Yes." The young boy replied.

"Tho, thaths wha ou really wook wike."

Sasori remained silent.

"Whait, where we goin'?"

"Were withdrawing for now."

"WHAT! OWWWWWWWW!"

"There will be other opportunities. But for now it would be best if we regrouped and came up with a better strategy.

"Phine, ah… ah ah… ACHOO!" Deidara sneezed.

Sasori grumbled has his free hand reached up to wipe off his now damp neck.

* * *

He'd been chasing the mystery girl for nearly half an hour now. This forest, wherever it was, seemed endless without any exit in sight.

Her giggling could be heard from the trees in front of him, pushing him to move faster. This was irritating, stupid, and a complete waste of time.

Still, he had to admit that he was actually having a bit of fun. He never really had the opportunity to interact with anybody with such carefree abandon, and he found that he liked simply letting go like this for once in his life.

He shook his head.

What the hell was he thinking? Here he was, probably caught up in some crazy genjutsu by all appearances, and he was actually considering this whole situation fun.

Growl

Plus he was hungry. That only added to his irritation.

The girls shadowy figure darted across the branches in front of him. He grinned, his crimson eyes narrowing.

He had her now.

Putting a little extra strength into his legs, he leapt forward, tackling her as she crossed in front of him. This, of course, sent them both tumbling down to the forest bed below.

Recovering quickly, Naruto pinned the giggling female down, reveling for a moment the thrill of a successful chase.

… Where had that thought come from…?

"Ok, game's over. Now tell me what the hell is going on here." He growled.

She simply looked up at him with a look that, quite frankly, made him feel queasy in a decidedly pleasant way, before she looked away again, whispering something he couldn't quite hear.

"Hmm, what was that?" He leaned down, tilting his head to hear better.

Taking this opportunity, she blew a soft puff of air right into his ear.

"Wahhh!"

Naruto, now blushing a deep red, leapt off of her, holding a hand up to his now highly sensitive ear. She continued giggling.

"Sorry." She said between giggles "But I have to go now. I'll see you again, real soon. Bye." With that, she leapt into the air, her body vanishing in a burst of blue fire.

"What the… HEY WAIT…." Before he could finish, the very world itself seemed to be dissolving, burning away at the edges like paper in a fire. Everything went black.

* * *

_AN: Long time no write huh? Sorry about the delay between updates, but I got swamped by work during the holiday season. Not only was business up, but a bunch of people quite as well, so naturally everybody else had to pick up the slack. As such, I have had almost no time to commit to any serious writing until about a week ago when we finally hired some new people. I should hopefully have more time available again, which I intend to devote to writing once more._

_This story has taken twists that even I had not originally been planning on. But all things considered I think this is turning out to be a rather interesting adventure, one that I hope to keep expanding on. The main point that I personally have enjoyed is the creation of my own characters and my attempt at keeping them from appearing too shallow or Mary Sue. I think I have succeeded, at least thus far, but any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated._

_I won't make any solid promises for my next update except to say that I will endeavor to make it considerably sooner than this one was._

_My heartfelt thanks to everybody who has remained patient thus far, and just know that I still have every intention of continuing this story to its conclusion, what ever it might be._


	16. Authors Note and Apology

Disclaimer: … sigh… You all know the drill, I don't really think I have to repeat myself…

* * *

Through Crimson Eyes

* * *

Chapter 15: Tempest

'_Youkai.'_

"_No, stop! I'm not a youkai, I'm not a demon."_

'_Youkai'_

"_No!"_

'_He's the one. He's the one who nearly destroyed our village. He's the one who killed all those people…'_

"_NO! I didn't! I didn't kill anyone! I've never killed anybody! Never!"_

'_That vile creature. Why does the Hokage even tolerate him!'_

'_He'll kill us all. When he grows up, he'll try to finish what he started!'_

"_NO! I would never! Konoha is my home too! IT'S MY HOME TOO!"_

His eyes opened.

He found himself standing in a familiar place, bombarded by rain that he could not feel. He knew this place all too well, though he desperately wished otherwise.

His old orphanage.

"No, I don't want to be back here again!" He shouted, grasping his head, as though he could somehow block out the memories that were suddenly beginning to flood back to him. He stopped in mid-shout when he heard his own voice, higher pitched than he remembered. Looking down at his hands, he noticed that they were considerably smaller. The hands of a child.

The last thing he remembered was confronting those two girls in the middle of that forest after slaughtering all those bandits. If that were the case, then what the hell was he doing back here?

"Wh-what the hell is going on..." He was cut off by a sharp pain in the back of his head. Rubbing his throbbing skull, he whirled around to face his attackers. Nearly fifteen children, all his age, stood there before him, gathered together into a large group. They were pointing, laughing and jeering. But what really sent ice through his blood was not them, but rather the wielder of the stick who had just struck him. An older woman stood above him, looking down on him with a mixture of loathing and disgust, tapping the stick threateningly in her hands.

Just as he was about to say something, shout out against them, he felt another crack from the stick, this time full in the face. It was followed by another, and then another. Then, more seemed to join in, and Naruto knew, without having to look, that the children were beginning to join in the fun as well.

The torment lasted only a few moments, though it had felt like an eternity. He could feel all his pent up anger and hate, buried inside of him for so long, begin to boil inside of him, coiling within his heart and ready to be set loose. He heard them leave, their laughter feeling colder than the rain that was beating down upon him. His back was unpleasantly warm. The burning ache began to subside as well, leaving a horrible chill in it's wake.

He remembered this. It had been when he was five. He had gotten into a simple quarrel with another kid in the orphanage when that kid had attempted to steal his ball. And yet, it had somehow escalated into this. Not only that, but this had been the start of his own personal nightmare. The other kids, seeing that he would be blamed for any situation he was involved in, all began to take advantage. He learned quickly not to get involved with any of the children, as that would only get him in trouble.

He suddenly felt another presence in the rain. Looking up slightly from his prone position, he saw a small hand reaching down towards him, offering help.

When had this happened? He didn't remember this part.

"Are you going to lie there all day?" The voice asked, oddly comforting. It was distinctly feminine, though the actual age was hard to place. Looking up a little further, he was able to make out a slight silhouette of a small girl, no older than himself, her facial features hidden by the rain and gloom.

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice still carrying the high pitched squeak of a child, though hoarse with pain. The question was followed by laughter, not cold or condescending, but comforting and soothing.

"That's not really important right now. I'm just here to help. So come on, let's get out of the rain."

Not knowing what else to do, he reached out to her, and as their fingers touched, the world itself seemed explode about him in a burst of blue flame…

* * *

"Waste time killing us huh?" Jiraiya quipped with a sneer, standing in a loose fighting stance while facing the strange akatsuki ninja. Neji and Lee both moved on either side of him, each experienced enough in common tactics to know to flank the opponent. Sasori didn't seem the least bit intimidated. He continued to stand there, his tail moving lazily back and forth, his eyes idly tracking each of his opponents one by one. Rain continued to fall from above.

"It would seem that I am at a bit of a disadvantage here, hmmm…" He said, almost as if he were talking to himself. His three opponents readied themselves.

"Well then, I suppose that it would only be right to even the odds…"

With that, there was an explosion of fire and smoke. Caught off guard, the three shinobi shielded their eyes as the smoke expanded to encompass them briefly before dissipating. They then looked back towards their opponent.

Where there had been a single opponent, there were now 3, two of which seemed to float in the air. They looked almost completely human, save for their strangely constructed mouths and completely dead eyes. They each wore what looked to be a shinobi headband with the emblem of the hidden sand village, a familiar slash running across each of them.

"This should even things out quite nicely."

Jiraiya took a step back to get some distance, a grimace of disgust on his face "A puppet master, huh?"

Sasori regarded him with what seemed to be a bit of amusement in his eyes "Exactly. So glad you appreciate it. In this way I would have to say that I subscribe to a considerably different artistic philosophy than my collegue and counterpart Deidara. This is my form of art, and like all of my work, I do believe you will find that effects of their attacks tend to linger for a good long time."

With that, the two puppets each opened their mouths, spewing forth a storm of small needles at the two gennin. Reacting quickly, both Lee and Neji dodged nimbly to the side.

Mulling over Sasori's statement quickly, Jiraiya quickly came to the logical conclusion "Poison."

"Very good." Sasori drawled, "I have to say it's so wasteful for things to be over so quickly. The poison in my puppets is of my own design, and I am certainly very proud of the results. It will greatly slow you down, not to mention the agonizing death that will undoubtedly result after an hour from contact. And I am eagerly looking forward to adding you to my collection." He finished, giving a pointed look at Jiraiya.

"Oi, Lee, Neji." Jiraiya stated, giving a quick look at each of them. They nodded back at him, prepaired to take any order when given.

"I don't think I need to tell you to not get hit. If any of us gets hit even once were pretty much screwed."

"Yosh, I got it!" Lee shouted. Neji nodded his assent as well. Smirking, Jiraiya turned his attention back to Sasori "Both of you take care of those puppets. The puppeteer is mine! Now GO!"

They each then lunged towards their respective opponents.

* * *

They had been running through the rain for only a few minutes when they spotted the battle between their fellow group members and the strange cowled creature facing them. Given how intent they were on each other, it was unlikely that they would be noticed.

Giving a silent signal to the girl behind her, Sakura continued to make her way through the rain soaked trees, applying extra chakra to her feet to help keep her steady on the slick branches.

A series of explosions was a clear indication that they were heading in the right direction.

Looking back over her shoulder, Sakura called out "Hey, Hinata, I think they're just ahead."

Hinata nodded, an unusually focused expression on her face.

Drawing a kunai, Sakura upped her pace a little more.

* * *

Another explosion ripped through the rain soaked forest, followed by another and another.

Gaara, now looking considerably worse for wear, tiredly dodged yet another explosive bird, looking up balefully at the giggling akatasuki flying up well out of reach. His sand was still useless however, and even his shield of sand, though sluggishly attempting to shield him, was of little use. He clenched a bloody hand.

Above, Deidara looked down at the Sand ninja, an irritated expression on his face.

"Come on, come on, how inconsiderate can you be, yeah. Can't you just throw in the towel and keel over already. My hat is already beginning to leak, my cloak is completely drenched, and it's getting really, REALLY fucking cold out here. So just drop already so that I can go home and dry off." He gripped, making a show of ringing out his cloak for good measure.

Gaara simply growled at him.

"Oh my, aren't you looking determined." Deidara said, smiling wickedly at him "But you should know that my goal is to capture you alive. If I wanted you dead, you would be dead. Just like that…" He snaps his fingers to emphasize his point.

He then let out a long drawn out sigh.

"Unfortunately, capturing you alive with explosives is a very delicate procedure, and with you doing all that irritating dodging, I might end up killing you by mistake. So be a good boy and STAND THE FUCK STILL!" He finished with a shout, launching a large flock of explosive birds at him.

Gaara attempted to dodge again. His body however, worn out by the rain, repeated movement and the shock from the many close explosions simply was not able to dodge fast enough. Hit with nearly half a dozen explosions at close range, the world began to blur, then his vision tunneled into darkness.

Riding down leisurely, Deidara hoped off of his bird to inspect the body.

"Shit, I hope that wasn't too much. It's so damned hard to take people alive like this." He mumbled as he bent to check on his victim.

There was still a pulse.

"Good, that's a load off my mind then." He chirped cheerfully.

As he bent down to pick him up, he barely caught a brief flash of movement from his right. Leaping back nimbly, he was able to dodge the small kunai as it sailed past his nose. Turning towards the direction of the attack, Deidara switched on the small device that was situated over his eye.

"Hmmm, there are two small chakra signatures coming from the woods, yeah. Seems like Sasori slipped up a little bit."

Shrugging to himself, he secretly began preparing several more clumps of explosive clay in each of his hands as he watched Sakura and Hinata leap from the trees into the clearing.

Taking up position in front of him, the two girls stared down their opponent. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, only to be quickly washed away by the rain water running down their faces.

"Oohh, looks like I've got a couple of cuties here, yeah." Deidara exclaimed, still keeping his hands hidden beneath his cloak.

Stepping back, Sakura and Hinata both readied another kunai, holding it forward in preparation. The veins around Hinata's eyes were pronounced and throbbing, indicating the activation of her Byakugan.

"Step away from Gaara now!" Sakura said, her normally warm fiery green eyes gazed at him coldly.

Deidara simply stood there "My, oh my, how chilly it seems to have gotten all of a sudden, and just when I thought it couldn't get any colder."

"Back off NOW!" Sakura shouted again, quickly throwing her kunai at the akatsuki's head. Not even flinching, Deidara simply caught the blade between two fingers a few inches away from his face. At the same moment, two clay birds flew from the folds of his cloak, each of them heading to one of the two girls.

Dodging quickly to the side, Sakura and Hinata were still thrown off balance by the resulting explosion. Rolling with the impact, Sakura let loose with another kunai, Hinata quickly doing the same. Deidara dodged them lazily.

"Oops, so close." He taunted.

Giving a small angry grunt, Sakura quickly looked over at Hinata "Hey, Hinata?" She whispered under her breath, just loud enough for the other girl to hear it.

Hinata looked back at her questioningly.

"Think you can keep his attention for just a minute. I have something that might work, but I need to catch him off guard." She then began carefully whispering the rest of her plan to her.

"You ready?" She finished.

Obviously distraught at the sudden responsibility placed upon her, Hinata gulped audibly. Then, gritting her teeth, she nodded her affirmative.

Sakura grinned.

"Good, then let's take this stupid bastard down!"

* * *

The scent of leaves. The scent of a forest after rain.

These sensations bombarded him all at once, forcing him from the void of senselessness that he had been wallowing just a moment before.

Opening his eyes once again, Naruto found himself in a sun dappled glade in the midst of trees he did not recognize. They towered over him, large even than the famous trees that populated the forests of Konoha. There was a sense of peace flowing from this place. It all felt so very right.

Which may be why it all felt so very wrong.

Looking back at his hands, he was surprised to find that they were, once again, the correct size and age.

"Where the hell am I?" He asked aloud. The last thing he remembered was a young girl intruding upon one of his most terrible memories, offering her hand to him. And when he had taken it…

Still mulling over this, Naruto began to walk, not really knowing or caring what direction he was heading. Despite himself, he began to feel the tension in his body dissipate. There really was something soothing about this place, it felt… safe, somehow. Like a place he had been before.

He shook his head. What the hell was he thinking, he'd never been here before.

And yet…

A warm breeze blew by, ruffling his hair and sending a light burst of green leaves blowing past him. With the breeze he also sensed a sudden presence. He could smell a scent that blended perfectly with the forest about him. Like flowers and fresh earth.

"Welcome home."

* * *

Lee barely managed to regain his footing in time to dodge another hail of needles as they sprayed into the ground where he stood just half a second ago. Even with his speed it was all he could do to keep dodging the puppets attacks. He still had yet to find an opening significant enough for him to mount an attack without risking a decidedly deadly counterattack in return.

Chancing a glance at his two partners, He noticed that they were not faring much better than he was. Though Neji had a definite advantage with his Byakugan activated, even he was hard pressed to dodge the seemingly endless barrage of needles, made all though more harrowing by the knowledge that a single slip or mistake would be all it took.

Jiraiya had at least managed to close in with the main enemy, though the Akatsuki assassin was proving to be quite a difficult opponent. He kept the Sanin busy enough that he could not find the time to perform any complex jutsus, which left the older man relying primarily on his Taijutsu, something that he obviously did not excel at.

Another barrage forced him to return to the matter at hand. How was he going to get through?

Still, he had one option available: The Extreme Lotus.

Gai-sensei would be most upset if he ever learned that he had utilized the Extreme Lotus without his express consent. And even though the Extreme Lotus was not a guarantee of death, the possibility was high enough that it was not a risk that should be taken lightly.

Still…

Both Neji and Jiraiya were being hard pressed, and at the rate they were going, it would only be a matter of time before they were worn out enough to the point that they couldn't dodge anymore.

No help for it.

He just wished that Sakura-chan were here to see this.

* * *

"Welcome home."

Startled by the sudden voice, Naruto looked up towards the canopy above. There up on one of the branches sat the figure that had intruded before, though she also appeared to be older. She was dressed in what looked to be a formal yukata, the bottom ending just above the knees, leaving the rest of her bare legs exposed. The bangs of her short cut platinum hair fell loosely over one eye, leaving the other, a dark amber eye, revealed. She looked down at him with a warm, yet at the same time, bemused smile on her face.

Whoa…

"Who are you! And what the hell do you mean by home!" He shouted up at her, trying to keep his blush down. His voice carried no venom, but was thick with his obvious confusion. If this was a dream, it was a damn realistic one.

The girl kicked her legs idly, tapping a finger to the side of her nose. The message of course was quite clear.

"You don't need to know that. Not yet at least…"

Grimacing, Naruto crossed his arms "Umm, yeah I do."

She shook her head, grinning widely at him "Nope"

Huffing, Naruto opened his mouth to shout another demand up at her.

Only to find that she was not where he was shouting.

"Still…" She started, her breath rushing into his right ear. A lithe arm slid around his shoulder, her small hand splaying over his chest.

To give him credit, Naruto's reaction was quite spectacular. With a cry of shock, Naruto was now left occupying the branch that his mysterious assailant had been occupying just a second ago. Down below, the girl giggled.

"A little jumpy aren't you." She stated. There certainly was no question intended. She then gracefully leapt up to join him on the branch, causing Naruto to scoot down further.

"But like I was about to say, you'll come to know everything in due time. So just be patient, enjoy your surroundings a little. Take the time to just relax."

"In due time? What's that supposed to mean? Do you know what's happening to me right now?"

She nodded, smiling cutely.

Naruto looked at her for a second "…You're not going to tell me… are you." He deadpanned. She shook her head.

"Ok… is there anything that you can tell me?"

"Well…" she tapped her chin in thought. Then her face brightened again "Nope, not really. It's not time yet."

"Not time yet? What the hell does that mean?"

She just shook her head, pursing her lips together. Her shoulders were shaking though, obviously in an attempt to hold back her growing mirth.

He honestly never thought that he would be on the receiving end of such teasing.

He let out a deep, aggravated sigh. This whole situation was incredibly bizarre. Still…

He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

She was kind of cute. Actually, adorable would probably be closer to the mark.

He glanced at her again.

Only to find himself looking into a pair of deep amber eyes.

"WAAAAAAHH!"

"Oopps." She giggled down at him.

From his rather artful landing position, Naruto growled.

Adorable or not, she was being a real pain in the ass.

Still looking down at him, she blew him a quick raspberry, then leapt gracefully into the forest.

Glaring at her retreating form, Naruto immediately shot to his feet and gave pursuit. There was no way in hell he was letting her get away without any answers.

* * *

Deidara looked on with mild boredom as his two little playmates apparently formulated a plan of attack. While they had been amusing at first, he really was beginning to get very wet and cold.

_Achoo_

And it felt like he might actually be coming down with something. Just perfect. Not only did that damn demon vessel behind him keep him out in the rain, but now these two little bitches were going to keep him out here even longer.

The two girls then leapt to each side.

Rubbing his nose with the sleave of his cloak, he turned towards the dark haired girl coming at him from his right. This whole setup was a diversionary tactic if ever he saw one. Still, he couldn't afford to be careless. Considering her eyes, she could be none other than a Hyuuga, and that was one clan that actually seemed to excel at straight forward combat, where their unique Gentle Fist style could do the most damage.

Still aware of the pink haired one, who was currently attempting to flank him to his left, Deidara prepared himself for Hinata's attack.

In just a few seconds, Hinata crossed the distance between the two of them, striking out several times at various points of his body. Casually blocking each of the attacks, he also managed to dodge several kunai which were thrown at him from the other opponent.

As the assault pressed on, Deidara continued to observe his opponents abilities while still casually engaging them.

'Is this really the extent of a Hyuuga's abilities? Her strikes are uncertain and sloppy. And the other girl seems too timid to even try and engage me in hand to hand as well.'

"Disappointing, yeah." He stated, dodging yet another strike from Hinata. Drawing one hand back, a small clump of clay was spit out from the small mouth in his palm. Then, swinging forward, he pressed the clump of clay directly into her face, which then promptly detonated with a miniature explosion, sending the former Hyuuga heiresses now limp body to the ground several meters away. He then turned towards the remaining enemy.

"Where the hell did she go?"

"BASTARD!" Sakura screamed. Bolting forward, Sakura charged towards the Akatsuki's unprotected back, delivering a punch aimed directly towards his chest.

Turning with the motion from his previous attack, Deidara deftly dodged the enraged kunoichi's attack, immediately sending another swarm of clay birds towards his targets now unprotected back, each of them flying to positions which would cut off any escape points.

The explosion sent a shockwave of mud and rain in all directions. When it cleared, Sakura's body lay burnt and broken on the ground.

Nodding with satisfaction, Deidara turned and once again began heading over to retrieve Gaara. He chuckled under his breath.

"Game over girls."

* * *

All of the ninja involved in the showdown came to a halt as a tremendous surge of chakra rippled accros the rainy landscape. Jiraiya, Neji, and even Sasori turned to watch in awe as Lee once again began activating his Eight Inner Body Gates.

"I-initial Gate, RELEASE!" Lee shouted, veins already beginning to pop out across his forhead as his skin began to darken into red. A small trickle of blood began macking its way from his nose.

"What the hell is he thinking!" Jiraiya shouted, watching as Lee continued to power up. Neji stood by silently, knowing full well what Lee's intention was.

'_He knows that he might not survive it this time. Lee…'_

"What is this jutsu?" Sasori mused. His eyes were wide with shock.

Still, he didn't become an S-Rank ninja by being so easily distracted. Swinging his massive tail above his head, he then struck downwards towards the distracted Senin.

It was at that point, that Lee made his move.

"FIFTH GATE: OPEN!"

Launching himself forward at speeds beyond even Neji's ability to see, Lee planted his fist directly into one of the puppets torso, causing the whole construct to explode as the tremendous chakra fueled punch shattered the fragile doll's body.

In nearly the same instant, Lee crossed the battlefield to the other doll attacking Neji, shattering this one with a powerful spinning kick almost before the first doll even began to shatter.

Both Jiraiya's and Sasori's eyes widened further as Sasori's tail was stopped in mid-thrust mere inches from Jiraiya's head by the now red skinned boy. Blood was now beginning to leak copiously from his nose, and even a little from the eyes as well as the boys body destroyed itself.

Then, with a loud cry, Lee crushed the tail in his hands, and instantly followed it up with a tremendous punch directly into the shocked Akatsuki's face.

_Smash_

The body broke apart in a cloud of debris as Lee's fist made contact.

"A puppet?" Neji shouted, shocked.

'So… all three of them were puppets…' Jiraiya thought, looking down at the broken body of Sasori. There was no sign of the actual puppet master anywhere, nor could he sense any presence.

"Damn, looks like he got away."

A sound to their left caught their attention as Lee, completely spent, dropped bonelessly to the rain soaked ground.

* * *

Bending down to pick up Gaara, Deidara was caught completely off guard as a kunai embedded itself directly into his left arm. The wounded arm then dropped uselessly to his side.

"DAMN BITCH! You're still… alive…" Deidara trailed off as his gaze rested on the two burnt logs lying in the rain.

"Kawarimi no jutsu!" He shouted. How could he have actually been fooled by such a basic jutsu? There was no way.

A loud popping sound behind him drew his attention back to Gaara.

Or what had been Gaara.

"Surprise!" Sakura yelled, grinning, her fist drawn back. Deidara's eyes widened as her fist approached.

'_Immpossi…'_

_CRACK_

_

* * *

_

She had been studying Tsunade's scroll ever since they had left on their journey. While the vast majority of the techniques described were medical in nature, there was one particular technique that was blatantly offensive in nature.

Still, she wasn't sure if she could ever get used to the title "SMASHY-SMASHY no jutsu"

Having been studying the technique, it had become apparent that it relied on complete and total control of the users chakra. That was something that she could do, it was her one saving grace really.

But she hadn't counted on it requiring so much chakra just to pull off a single punch. Which was precisely why she knew that she would only get one shot at it.

She had to make that shot count.

* * *

A massive shockwave expanded outward from the point of contact as Sakura's fist met Deidara's face. The Akatsuki's body seemed almost frozen in time before it was launched backwards at tremendous speed, smashing through several trees nearly a hundred feet behind him.

Sakura then landed in the mud.

"Damn…" she mumbled, her eyes beginning to droop "didn't… think… it would use… that much… cha…kra…"

She then passed out.

* * *

"S-sakura-san!" Hinata squeaked. She sat in the trees a good few hundred feet away, an unconscious Gaara hefted over her shoulders.

The plan certainly seemed to have worked. Each of them had had the presence of mind to invoke a Kawarimi just before the Akatsuki had connected with what certainly would have been fatal attacks.

Using his distraction, Hinata took Gaara's body and made her way to the woods while Sakura stayed behind as Gaara's replacement. Then, as he had been about to pick Sakura up, she had launched one last kunai, using her Byakuugan to pinpoint a major nerve in the arm.

But she hadn't counted on Sakura going unconscious as well, and she was uncertain as to whether or not the enemy Shinobi was conscious or not.

* * *

He swam to consciousness slowly, though he quickly wished that he hadn't. He was being bounced and jostled, the movement causing his head to explode in pain.

"PPHHFFUCKIN OWWW!" Deidara shouted, his voice partially muffled by the massive swelling of his right cheek.

"Just shut up."

Deidara's one good eye widened as he recognized the voice. Looking down he found himself being carried by a small boy dressed in the typical Akatsuki robe.

"Tthhathhori?"

"Yes." The young boy replied.

"Tho, thaths wha ou really wook wike."

Sasori remained silent.

"Whait, where we goin'?"

"Were withdrawing for now."

"WHAT! OWWWWWWWW!"

"There will be other opportunities. But for now it would be best if we regrouped and came up with a better strategy.

"Phine, ah… ah ah… ACHOO!" Deidara sneezed.

Sasori grumbled has his free hand reached up to wipe off his now damp neck.

* * *

He'd been chasing the mystery girl for nearly half an hour now. This forest, wherever it was, seemed endless without any exit in sight.

Her giggling could be heard from the trees in front of him, pushing him to move faster. This was irritating, stupid, and a complete waste of time.

Still, he had to admit that he was actually having a bit of fun. He never really had the opportunity to interact with anybody with such carefree abandon, and he found that he liked simply letting go like this for once in his life.

He shook his head.

What the hell was he thinking? Here he was, probably caught up in some crazy genjutsu by all appearances, and he was actually considering this whole situation fun.

Growl

Plus he was hungry. That only added to his irritation.

The girls shadowy figure darted across the branches in front of him. He grinned, his crimson eyes narrowing.

He had her now.

Putting a little extra strength into his legs, he leapt forward, tackling her as she crossed in front of him. This, of course, sent them both tumbling down to the forest bed below.

Recovering quickly, Naruto pinned the giggling female down, reveling for a moment the thrill of a successful chase.

… Where had that thought come from…?

"Ok, game's over. Now tell me what the hell is going on here." He growled.

She simply looked up at him with a look that, quite frankly, made him feel queasy in a decidedly pleasant way, before she looked away again, whispering something he couldn't quite hear.

"Hmm, what was that?" He leaned down, tilting his head to hear better.

Taking this opportunity, she blew a soft puff of air right into his ear.

"Wahhh!"

Naruto, now blushing a deep red, leapt off of her, holding a hand up to his now highly sensitive ear. She continued giggling.

"Sorry." She said between giggles "But I have to go now. I'll see you again, real soon. Bye." With that, she leapt into the air, her body vanishing in a burst of blue fire.

"What the… HEY WAIT…." Before he could finish, the very world itself seemed to be dissolving, burning away at the edges like paper in a fire. Everything went black.

* * *

_AN: Long time no write huh? Sorry about the delay between updates, but I got swamped by work during the holiday season. Not only was business up, but a bunch of people quite as well, so naturally everybody else had to pick up the slack. As such, I have had almost no time to commit to any serious writing until about a week ago when we finally hired some new people. I should hopefully have more time available again, which I intend to devote to writing once more._

_This story has taken twists that even I had not originally been planning on. But all things considered I think this is turning out to be a rather interesting adventure, one that I hope to keep expanding on. The main point that I personally have enjoyed is the creation of my own characters and my attempt at keeping them from appearing too shallow or Mary Sue. I think I have succeeded, at least thus far, but any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated._

_I won't make any solid promises for my next update except to say that I will endeavor to make it considerably sooner than this one was._

_My heartfelt thanks to everybody who has remained patient thus far, and just know that I still have every intention of continuing this story to its conclusion, what ever it might be._


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